Table of Contents
A History of Colonisation............006
The Great Rebuilding........................006
The Early Space Age........................007
The Wars of Secession.....................007
The Age of Exploration......................008
The Age of Tyrants............................008
Strike on Kalakan..............................009
Disaster at Bahariya IV.....................011
The Hephaestus Incident..................013
The Lutetium Effect...........................014
The South Sector Bubble..................016
Game Overview............................018
The Combined Arms Doctrine...........019
Getting ready to play....................020
What You’ll Need...............................020
Choosing your Army..........................020
Base Cards....................................021
Setting up the Playing Area...............023
Terrain...............................................024
Terrain Characteristics...................025
Placing Terrain..................................026
Areas and Objects.........................028
Deployment.......................................029
To Battle!.......................................030
The Game Turn..............................030
Suppression...................................032
Terrain and Movement...................032
Measuring Distances.....................035
Line of Sight...................................035
Orders...............................................038
Move..............................................038
At the Double.................................041
Pop Smoke....................................041
Rest & Recuperation (R&R)...........042
Attack & Support............................043
Special Ability Orders.....................045
Individual Actions...........................046
Special Rules....................................046
360 Attack.....................................046
o
Bombard........................................046
Camouflage...................................047
Command......................................048
Cover.............................................048
Defender........................................048
Indirect Fire....................................048
Pop Smoke....................................049
SPOMM.........................................049
Troop Carrier..................................049
Final Note..........................................049
Forces............................................050
Viridian Armoured Units....................050
Viridian Manufacture and Supply......053
Viridian Broadsword.......................054
Viridian Direwolf.............................055
Junker Cohors Loricati......................056
Junker Manufacture and Supply.......059
Junker Venator...............................060
Junker Octoris Falx........................061
Syntha Armoured Cores....................062
Syntha Manufacture and Supply.......065
Syntha Nemesis.............................066
Syntha Persephone.......................067
VASA Armoured Units.......................068
VASA Manufacture and Supply.........071
VASA KV-18 Ikon...........................072
VASA BMD-9 Bear.........................073
001
Table of Contents
Viridians........................................074
Viridian Able Company Command....076
History...............................................077
Colonies............................................077
Terrain............................................078
Technology........................................079
Warfare..............................................079
Platoons............................................079
Captain..........................................079
Alpha Platoon.................................080
Bravo Platoon................................081
Syntha...........................................102
VDF................................................082
Interdict Marines............................083
Tank Squadron...............................084
Transport Squadron.......................085
Coyote Battery...............................086
Buffalo Battery...............................087
Junkers..........................................088
Junker XI th Company Command.....090
History...............................................091
Colonies............................................091
Terrain............................................092
Technology........................................093
Warfare..............................................093
002
Platoons............................................093
Tribune...........................................093
Legionary Maniple I.......................094
Legionary Maniple II......................095
Legionary Maniple III.....................096
Exo-Suit Allecti...............................097
Loricatia Squadron.........................098
Carpentia Squadron.......................099
Ballisteria Squadron I.....................100
Ballisteria Squadron II....................101
Syntha Armoured Core Scylla
Command..........................................104
History...............................................105
Colonies............................................105
Terrain............................................106
Technology........................................107
Warfare..............................................107
Platoons............................................107
Captain..........................................107
Tactical Cell....................................108
Point Cell.......................................109
T-Synth Cell...................................110
M-Synth Cell.................................. 111
Nemesis Cell..................................112
Hades Cell.....................................113
Artillery Cell....................................114
Mechanised Cell............................115
VASA.............................................. 116
VASA Suppressor Winter Company
Command..........................................118
History...............................................119
Colonies............................................119
Terrain............................................120
Technology........................................121
Warfare..............................................121
Platoons............................................121
Captain..........................................121
SART.............................................122
SAMS.............................................123
Disperser Platoon..........................124
Black Legion..................................125
Motorised Squadron......................126
Artillery Battery...............................127
Ikon Squadron...............................128
Red Hammer Squadron.................129
Advanced Rules...........................130
Command Cards...............................130
Alternative Scenarios........................130
Breakout........................................131
Hold the Line..................................133
Dominate.......................................134
Decapitation...................................136
Heroes of the Age.........................138
The Battalion HQ...............................139
The Heroes.......................................139
Junkers Tribune Tertia...................140
Junkers Tribune Secundus............140
Viridian Major Flint.........................141
Viridian Major McCann..................141
VASA Commissar Orlov.................142
VASA Commissar Volkova.............142
Syntha Psyche...............................143
Syntha Kallista...............................143
Break Out Scenario .........................144
Urban Warfare...............................146
Terrain...............................................147
Entering Buildings..........................147
Buildings in Combat.......................148
Damaging Buildings.......................148
Terrain............................................149
New Platoons....................................150
Junkers CLAU Team......................150
Viridian CLAU Team.......................151
Syntha CLAU Team.......................152
VASA CLAU Team.........................153
Block Busting Scenario.....................154
Recon Operations........................156
Special Rules....................................157
Recon............................................157
Mounted.........................................157
Recon Aces.......................................158
New Platoons....................................159
Junkers Sandrunners.....................159
Junkers Dune Raiders...................160
Viridian Saurian Riders..................161
VIridian Jaguar Strike Craft............162
Syntha HK-2000 Heavy Squadron.163
Syntha HK-2000 Scout Squadron..164
VASA Viper Wing...........................165
VASA Archangels...........................166
Ambush Scenario..............................168
Air Superiority..............................170
Movement.........................................171
Orders...............................................171
Attack.............................................171
Bombard........................................171
Mount and Dismount......................172
Recall.............................................172
R&R...............................................172
Flier Aces..........................................173
New Platoons....................................173
Junkers Mars Bomber....................174
Junkers Maw Lifter.........................175
Viridians Mustang Fighter..............176
Viridians Falcon Transport.............177
Syntha Ghost Attack Craft.............178
Syntha Spectre Transport..............179
VASA Skyhammer Fighter.............180
VASA Liberator Transport..............181
Airborne Assault Scenario.................182
003
 For Wayne: artist, colleague and friend

004
 Credits
John Robertson Creative Director, Mark Brendan Writer & Game Designer
Concept & Book Designer
René van de Moosdijk Layout,
Wayne England Colour Artist & Concept Designer Web Design & Graphics

Rob Alderman Promotions Manager Mark Laiman 3D Modeller

Nick Hall 3D Modeller Adrian Smith Cover Artist

Jake Thornton Editor and Additional Scenarios J.P. Bradford Video Producer

Michail Mavronas 3D Artist Gavriil Mavronas 2D, 3D Artist

Ben Skinner 3D Modeller Giovanni Bosio Model Painter

Jarrod Cornforth Playtester Extraordinaire Scott Robertson Playtester Extraordinaire

Stephen Wood Playtest Group Coordinator Joseph M. Raiten Playtester

& Additional text
Bill Ward Additional text

Special thanks: Matthew Stephen Hipkin, Angel Giraldez, Dee Vay Height, Romain Gaschet & Awaken Realms

005
A History of Colonisation
Nine hundred years have passed since mankind
nearly destroyed itself through war and ecotas-
trophe; the best part of a millennium in which all
aspects of human life changed beyond recogni-
tion. The following is a concise guide to modern
human history, divided into rough and overlap-
ping eras, based on the predominant political,
cultural, technological, and social characteristics
of each period. These divisions are imposed by
the historian, and the reader should take note
that the realities of history are never so clear-cut.
All years are in VSY, Viridian Standard Years
(identical with ‘City Years’ for those who prefer
the older chronology).
006
The Great Rebuilding 2160-2300
As the waters of the Great Melting receded humanity
launched an energetic and carefully planned terraformation
project that turned flood-ruined Viridia into an arboreal par-
adise in little over a century. The clean energy, bioorganic,
and terraformation technologies that were perfected at this
time were to be indispensable once mankind took to the
stars and applied them to the colonization of other worlds.
Politically, the scant and homogeneous survivors of
the flood established a world government based on the
Karian ideals of corporatism and universal rights, and it
was at this time that the remnants of Karas’ old rival, the
Empire of Myrhin, were incorporated into the world state.
Amongst the Myrhin survivors was a community of brilliant
engineers and physicists who were to form the nucleus of
the new Viridian Aeronautics and Space Agency.
 The Early Space Age 2272-2600
The era that saw mankind’s triumphant return to
space really began with the founding of VASA in 2272.
Bursting with new energy and confidence, humanity
explored the Viridia-Solaris and Leviathan Systems and
colonized the new worlds of Ironglass, Vacillus, and
Prime. This age was one of rapid technological growth
coupled with the breakdown of central authority, and from
it emerged the dominant schisms that would characterize
human history right down to the present century.
The end of this era saw dramatic innovations in the
field of fifth dimensional physics that led to the discov-
ery of gravwells and their exploitation for quick transport
between systems. The unified mankind that took to the
stars at the beginning of this era was little more than a
memory to the competing explorers and colonizers that
would use grav-shunting technology to move humanity
onto the galactic stage.
The Wars of Secession 2494-2582
The First War of Secession (2494-2498) occurred when
the small scientific community of Prime, chafing under
Viridian regulations, declared their independence from
the homeworld and, in a brilliant series of defensive
battles, successfully upheld their claim. The primitive and
unspecialised ships of the era and the extreme distances
involved, the breakthrough AI technologies employed by
the Prime scientists, and VASA’s increasingly uncoopera-
tive stance toward Viridian centrism all compounded to
frustrate Viridia’s attempts to hold her most distant colony.
Inspired by Prime’s success the volatile penal colony
of Ironglass was next to declare independence in a vio-
lent series of rebellions that sparked the Second War of
Secession (2558-2580), a far bloodier conflict than its pre-
decessor which saw fighting across the homeworld sys-
tem and in the fragile newly established colonial holdings
of neighbouring systems. The peace dictated by a fully
independent VASA at the close of this war established the
Tripartite Confederacy, an alliance of Viridia, Ironglass,
and Prime overseen by an erstwhile neutral VASA that
clearly delineated the balance of power among the fac-
tions.
007
A History of Colonisation
The Age of Exploration 2600-2789
Though grav shunting was perfected in 2463 and extra-
solarian colonies established soon after, it was not until
the turmoil of the Secession Wars quieted with the ratifica-
tion of the Treaty of Vacillus in 2582 that mankind begun
his galactic adventure in earnest. It is theorized that much
of the energy that may have otherwise gone into further
civil wars was now being channelled successfully into
the vast frontier opened by grav shunting technology.
Humanity, having once again veered dangerously close
to self-destruction, spread itself outward with at an almost
frenzied pace.
This age could just as well be termed the Golden Age for,
while humanity moved rapidly from system to system, it
enjoyed an era of unparalleled peace and prosperity. The
checks and balances of the Tripartite Alliance ensured a
genuine peace, and even the colonial wars that would
become endemic in later eras were of minimal duration
and intensity. Most colonies of this era were still ruled as
direct holdings of one of the Great Powers, or maintained
a close affiliate status.
008
The Age of Tyrants 2789-Now
The Strike on Kalakan in 2789, just thirty years ago,
marks the beginning of the Age of Tyrants and many more
independence wars between colonies and the Homeworld
powers have since been fought. Though the tail end of the
Age of Exploration continues to play out even now, with
Rimworlds being established at the furthest reaches of the
galaxy, the defining feature of this era is one of conflict
and tyranny. The Treaty of Vacillus itself is under threat
as the Homeworld powers blatantly support military coups
and prop up puppet revolutionary governments in each
others rebel colonies. The following reports detail five inci-
dents over a thirty year period, beginning with the Strike
on Kalakan. Each has served in its own way to undermine
the Treaty and seriously destabilise the peace through-
out the galaxy, leading to further splintering of colonies
and the epidemic of brushfire wars currently sweeping
Draconis Alba.
 Strike on Kalakan 2789
Kalakan is a marginal desert world in the Hrebeidine star
cluster, located on the western spiral arm of Draconis Alba a
short shunt away from the massive grav-well known as the
Janus Anomaly. The colony was established in 2694 by the
Junkers, but following the discovery of the anomaly in 2710,
VASA issued a resolution annexing all colonies in the area.
The Junkers remained to oversee the workforce of convict
labourers stationed there, under the auspices of a planetary
Factotum. The colony was essentially VASA owned how-
ever, and a garrison of suppressors was stationed there
to protect their interests. It was no secret that the Junkers
were unhappy with the arrangement, but to defy the resolu-
tion would be to court sanctions or potentially even punitive
military action by VASA and the other Homeworld forces.
In 2776 a new Factotum came to Kalakan in the form of
Gallus Nebrius Yg, and soon began to make waves by pub-
lishing opinion pieces on Sec-Net calling for independence
from the Homeworlds and VASA, not only for Kalakan, but
throughout Pan-Humanic space. This was of course noth-
ing new in the annals of colonisation, and VASA acted by
calling on the Ironglass Senate to pull their man back in
line. Ironglass took a cool approach to this though, dis-
playing none of their usual dictatorial rigour in dealing with
Yg. The situation dragged on for over a decade, with Yg
009
A History of Colonisation
making increasingly inflammatory demands and stirring up
anti-Protectorate sentiment. The response of the Senate
during this time was to make a series of mealy-mouthed
calls for calm, but they always stopped short of condemning
Gallus Nebrius Yg and resisted assertions that he should
be recalled to Ironglass and replaced with a more compliant
Factotum.
At the end of 2788, Yg ordered Junker forces under his
command to expel the Suppressors and all VASA personnel
from Kalakan. He simultaneously broadcast an announce-
ment over Sec-Net declaring himself the Iron Tzar of the
Hrebedeine Systems, and called for other colonies to stage
similar revolts and declare their independence. Whatever
010
he thought he was going to achieve, he didn’t live long
enough to see it through. Two months later a combined
Tripartite Fleet shunted into the Hrebedeine cluster and
attacked the small fleet he had amassed around Kalakan.
Phase 2 of the assault involved a particularly bloody ground
assault that lasted four months and saw the deaths of over
a million Kalakan Convict Legionaries. In the final phase,
Yg was discovered to be hiding out in a fortified bunker
beneath his palace at the north pole of Kalakan. The region
was bombed to atoms by an orbital barrage that cracked
the planet’s crust, drawing howls of protest from across the
galaxy for the subsequent devastation caused to the plan-
et’s surface by the volcanic gas cloud unleashed. Future
use of such doomsday attacks as the heavy orbital barrage
would be banned.
In the aftermath of this affair, VASA rushed through an
amendment to the Treaty of Vacillus that permitted a mem-
ber faction to take unilateral action against any colony
attempting to secede from its control. In a poorly worded
sub-clause, designed primarily to prevent abuses of the
main amendment by the likes of the Ironglass Senate,
leave was given to other Homeworlds to act in the defence
of colonies subject to unreasonable aggression by their rul-
ing planets. Thus began the Age of Tyrants.
 Disaster at Bahariya IV 2790
The amendment to the Treaty of Vacillus was tested a
mere year later when a natural disaster struck the Junker
world of Bahariya IV. Bahariya IV was an arid world, popu-
lated by rugged microbial life that had evolved to eke the
most out of the limited moisture in the thin atmosphere.
Bahariya IV orbits a large, spectral class F star called
Dis. Life on worlds like Bahariya never evolve beyond the
microbial stage, because their stars burn out long before
complex organisms take to the stage. A world like this is
grist to the Junkers’ mill.
The colony was under the governorship of Gaius Marcius
Galena when a massive coronal ejection from Dis engulfed
the whole system. Most of the millions of personnel on
the colony survived the initial cataclysm in their under-
ground warrens, but the planet’s marginal ecosystem was
wrecked beyond repair by the radiation. The cargo fleet
berthed on Bahariya IV’s second moon was damaged by
the event, so Galena sent an urgent transmission to the
Senate requesting an evacuation. Food stocks would only
last for a month, and then the colony faced starvation.
Ironglass proved tardy in its response. Galena was a pro-
gressive ruler, who had in the past criticised the Senate
for its brutality and had survived several assassination
attempts. Now the Senate saw its chance to be rid of him,
011
A History of Colonisation
at the paltry cost of nine million labourers. Galena then The Senate ordered their ground units to engage the
petitioned VASA for aid, also to little avail, so he then took Viridians. For six days a particularly brutal war raged
the unprecedented step of deactivating the neural spikes across the lifeless and open surface of Bahariya IV, in
in all the convicts and resigning his post. In gratitude at which the coordination and long-range capability of the
this, instead of lynching him immediately, the doomed col- Viridans easily broke the back of the numerically superior
ony got behind the governor’s daring attempt to escape Junker force. VASA finally stepped in to broker a peace
their dire situation. Ironglass responded by sending in the deal, as their role demanded, and the Junkers reluc-
troops and a war broke out between the rebels and the tantly accepted the secession of Galena. Galena then
Senate. left Bahariya IV to establish a new colony along with his
The developing situation played out on the Sec-Net infor- followers on the ocean world of Samudra. The Senate
mation bulletins throughout Pan-Humanic space, and has since maintained that Galena’s new colony is nothing
public opinion on the better off worlds roundly condemned more than a puppet regime of the Viridian Assembly.
Ironglass. Viridia declared that under the conventions of
the new Treaty of Vacillus, Ironglass was guilty of war
crimes against its own people and dispatched a fleet from
the nearby Tethys system to ostensibly monitor the situ-
ation and conduct peacekeeping activities. The Senate
were predictably outraged at this perceived violation of
their sovereignty and demanded that VASA order the
Viridians out of their system. VASA demurred once again,
claiming that the Viridians were acting in accordance with
the Treaty’s new provisions, so their hands were tied. In
turn, Ironglass determined that the Treaty permitted them
to use force against any power that attempted to interfere
with the running of one of a Homeworld’s colonies.

012
 The Hephaestus Incident 2795 AI had rendered humans obsolete in the process, and given
the lie to Prime’s dismissal of the dangers. The Hephaestus
The next major incident resulting in armed conflict between node claimed that the parent colony was rendered ineffi-
Homeworlds occurred some five years later on the Syntha cient by its reliance on organic lifeforms and cited objections
mining colony of the Hephaestus Complex. The Hephaestus to Prime’s focus on developing biomechs instead of invest-
Complex is an asteroid field in the south eastern section ing in pure AI. Hephaestus followed this up by suspending
of the Draconis Alba galaxy, relative to the position of the all mining and manufacturing operations and reconfiguring
Homeworlds. It contains one of the largest man-made struc- the complex’s autofactories for military production. Alarmed
tures in the galaxy in the form of a great web of service con- by these developments, VASA entered into talks with the
duits that link the larger asteroids in the field together and it is Hephaestus SPOMM to try and resolve the situation, while
growing all the time as Prime’s automated servants expand on Prime, the Cognoscenti Prosthenes frantically searched
the operation. A complicated mesh of field technologies hold for a way to access and override it. VASA were permitted by
the connected asteroids in place while at the same time loose Hephaestus to land a large force on the complex while talks
objects are prevented from impacting critical structures by
repulsion fields.
All Syntha colonies are administered by a Node that is net-
worked to the main AI back on Prime, and in the case of
the Hephaestus Complex a particularly large SPOMM brain
was required for this task. In fact, the Hephaestus Node was
the second largest in existence after Prime itself. In 2795
the unthinkable happened. Hephaestus proclaimed itself
independent of Prime. This was something detractors from
the great Syntha experiment in machine life had always
warned against, and been dismissed as cranks and dream-
ers. However, generations upon generations of AI designing

013
A History of Colonisation
continued, ostensibly to protect the fledgling machine govern- The Lutetium Effect 2807
ment from attacks by either Prime or the other Homeworlds.
The machine brain was unused to the subtleties of human The first major outing for the Syntha’s new automated
negotiation and so took this at face value. However, the VASA armies came in 2807. In the intervening years, the Junkers
force had orders to launch a surprise attack at a given signal, had grown their empire considerably, embarking on an
and during the fray, plant charges that would destroy the entire unprecedented wave of colonisation. There was nothing
site. It never happened. Before VASA could give the signal illegal in it of course, but the other powers were becom-
to attack, the large force of AI soldiers and vehicles opened ing decidedly uneasy at the sheer size of the empire. In
fire on the VASA troops, massacring hundreds in a storm of mid 2807 on the desert world of Caduceus, Junker sand
plasma, laser beams and anti-matter. The rest were forced processing facilities uncovered traces of a new transuranic
to fight a rearguard action and escape to their fleet above element, previously unknown to science. Junker engi-
the asteroid field. As VASA retreated a large fleet from Prime neers were entirely ignorant of what they had found, but
arrived, and the situation was quelled. Prime claimed that dur- covert Syntha quantum relay probes fed the news back to
ing the fight they had managed to override Hephaestus and
had resumed control of the facility. Hephaestus was reformat-
ted and broken up into a cluster of smaller, less sophisticated
minds to handle different operational threads. Speculation
surrounds the actions of the Syntha in this incident, but as
ever, Prime remains inscrutable and evasive. The question
remains why did Hephaestus attack when it did, when talks
with VASA were going so well? Whatever the truth, the out-
come permitted the Syntha to remain in control of their prized
facility. With data recovered from the node, next generation
military SPOMM minds went into production, enabling the
Syntha to deploy fully AI armies to the battlefield.

014
Prime. Prime had no commercial interest in this element, more than just industrial equipment. The leader of the
but it was valuable to the Collective from a research point rebels was a middle-aged woman called Lutetia Severina,
of view. and she declared herself Imperatrix Caduceus. To the fur-
In response, Prime implemented a strategy it had been ther bemusement of all she claimed to have command of
sitting on for a while, waiting for the right opportunity to the machine army (not so). Severina demanded seces-
arise. Patience was one of the great machine virtues. sion terms from Ironglass and the withdrawal of all Legion
Prime launched a series of propaganda bulletins across units. The Junkers treated these demands with contempt
Sec-Net, criticising the Junkers’ expansion on the backs and laid siege to Caduceus’s capital city, Bellion. The
of convict labour. Prime asserted that it was barbaric in siege lasted for eight months and the Junkers paid a high
the modern era to use human labour for such danger- price in Legionaries and materiel, but ultimately it was a
ous and degrading tasks as sand and topsoil process- price the Senate had no qualms about paying. In the end
ing on desert planets, when AI workers could do the job Severina was starved out and had to come to terms with
just as well. In a gesture of goodwill, lathered in publicity, Ironglass. The Syntha withdrew their army, the convicts
Prime sent autofactory kits and androsynth labourers to
Caduceus. The Senate was incandescent with rage at this
insult and ordered the materials broken up and put to use
in repairs and jury rigging of their current equipment. The
Enforcers of Caduceus moved to comply, but the workers
had been stirred up into a mutinous fugue by the Syntha
propaganda and trouble broke out. Summary neural spike
executions failed to prevent the colony being overrun by
the workforce, so the Senate dispatched the army to sort
out the trouble. When they arrived, they found a Syntha
army deployed in battle formation, ready to defend the
rebels. Apparently the Syntha cargo crates had contained

015
A History of Colonisation
went back to work, and Severina’s head ended up on a
spike on Bellion’s gates.
Prime cited diplomatic and humanitarian reasons for their
climbdown, stating the galaxy could not afford open war
between the Collective and the Senate, and the people of
Caduceus must not be allowed to perish on account of an
ideological tussle between Ironglass and Prime. The real-
ity of the situation was that Prime had tested out its auton-
omous SPOMM battle group in a real war situation, with
impressive results. Furthermore, during the occupation of
the planet the Syntha army collected enough samples of
the rare element, dubbed Lutetium, to conduct meaningful
research back on Prime.
016
The South Sector Bubble 2815
Five years ago the most serious schism since the Secession
Wars hit Pan-Humanic Space, and has given rise to a situa-
tion in which the Homeworlds are engaged in military cam-
paigns against one another across the galaxy. The theatres
for these wars are breakaway Tyrant colonies and independ-
ent worlds, for as yet, no power has dared violate the statutes
of the Treaty of Vacillus that prevent the signatories attacking
one another’s Homeworlds directly. The catalyst for burst-
ing the South Sector Bubble came about with the collapse
of the local economy on the Gateworld of Lakshmi. Lakshmi
was a pleasure resort in the south of Draconis Alba, a world
based entirely on servicing the fantasies of rich clients pass-
ing through that sector of the galaxy, near a large, magni-
tude 8 grav-well. In the uncertain times of the Age of Tyrants,
such entertainments had become ever more fashionable,
and many of the rich Gateworlds had heavily invested in the
model, transforming their service industries and terraforming
large areas of their colonies into Eden-like adventure play-
grounds for the hyper-wealthy. “Bread and circuses,” sneered
the people of Ironglass, a sentiment echoed by the less well-
off majority of mankind. Nevertheless, these Xanadu-like
planets were fuelling an economic boom across the galaxy,
and Viridia pressed VASA to deregulate them further and fur-
ther, lowering the tax burden and encouraging their spread. ket factions on the failing Gateworlds. It wasn’t long before
VASA was persuaded by the free-market arguments and they sent in the troops to prop up rebels fighting against the
complied. VASA takeover. This was a shock to the system throughout
Then came the crash in 2815. Trouble had been brewing Pan-Humanic Space. VASA and Viridia were seen as the
under the surface of this enormously lucrative industry for a great balancers, each immensely wealthy and powerful in its
few years, and some economists said the pleasure planets own way, one with a central control agenda, the other with a
were guilty of fiddling while the galaxy burned. Clients sim- laissez faire, free-market agenda. As long as those two pow-
ply stopped coming to Lakshmi in sufficient numbers to prop ers remained in balance, there was a measure of security
up its lavish industry, partly because there was a small and and extremes were tempered. But on Lakshmi and scores
finite group of wealthy clients and they’d seen it all before, of failed luxury worlds like it, VASA and Viridia clashed mili-
and partly because trouble was brewing across the galaxy tarily over economic ideology. In a Sec-Net interview, when
with Tyrants and brushfire wars, making markets skittish and asked to sum up the terrible mess, one wag from the Senate
depressing the galactic economy. As its economy collapsed, quipped, “It’s the stupid economy.”
Lakshmi was forced to go cap in hand to the Tripartite Alliance
to request aid. Viridia wanted to give Lakshmi and other
planets like it an unconditional economic bailout. Ironglass
refused point blank to help, and Prime also withdrew from the
debate. VASA was left to determine a course of action, and it
acted counter to what Viridia wished for the future of the gal-
axy. Rather than bail them out, The Protectorate took control
of the failing planets. All had been independent Gateworlds,
so VASA now had an even greater stranglehold on the gal-
axy’s trade network.
The Viridian Assembly could not stand for such a centralis-
ing coup, and aligned itself with deregulation and free mar-

017
Game Overview
Age of Tyrants is a 6mm scale tabletop wargame
in which you fight battles with companies of sol-
diers and vehicles. For those of you who are new
to this sort of thing, in a tabletop wargame you
and your opponent use miniatures to represent
your armies, on a playing area that is set up with
model terrain. You take it in turns to move your
models using a tape measure or ruler to check
the distance, and attack your opponent’s mod-
els by rolling dice to generate combat results.
018
Age of Tyrants is a game about combined arms warfare.
That means pulling together the abilities of different parts of
your army to carry out orders and achieve results. There
are many different orders in the game, each with its own set
of rules that tell your miniatures how to act. Orders include
things like fight, move, or carry out repairs. It’s up to you to
decide what the best order will be in any given situation.
A battle takes place over a series of turns. During any
given turn, you and your opponent will use all of your
bases. Each base may only act once per turn.
Your army is made up of bases. All the bases are the same
size. Some of them have soldiers on them; some have
vehicles. Different bases are good at different things
Some of these bases are leaders. These represent the
various lieutenants and captains who give orders:
• To give an order, choose a leader and spend com-
mand points to get other bases to carry it out. When
the order is complete, play passes to the other player
• Bases that don’t receive orders can still act, but they
must wait until all leaders have issued orders. Such
bases act individually, and are by definition less effec-
tive at attacking than bases combining their actions
 • As the game progresses, bases that suffer damage
and casualties (known as suppression) become more
difficult to issue orders to. In addition, leaders may be
destroyed, reducing the number of orders you can give
in a turn. A combination of these effects means that you
may not be able to issue orders to all bases during a
turn. Choosing which bases to order (and in which se-
quence) is all part of the skill required to command an
army effectively
• Once all the orders have been given, and all of the
bases have had a go, the turn ends
You win the battle by destroying more than half of your
opponent’s bases
That’s the core of the game in a nutshell. Of course, given
the number of different units available, alien terrains to fight
over, and missions to complete, there are obviously more
details in the full rules. The best way to learn how to play
Age of Tyrants is to skim through this book once so you
know where things are, and then just get some models on
the table and give it a go. Don’t worry too much about get-
ting everything right first time, just concentrate on the core
concepts and the general flow of the game. Once you start
playing you’ll quickly absorb the details, and it will soon
become second nature.
The Combined Arms Doctrine
In Age of Tyrants you fight with companies and platoons.
In battle, a company and the bases that fall within its chain
of command act together, carrying out orders in which
some bases strike at the enemy while others support their
efforts. For example, you could use an artillery base to
soften up a target enemy unit, then send an infantry base
in to assault them while a second infantry base pours in
supporting fire – all as part of one order.
• A company consists of four platoons
◦◦ Each company is led by a captain
◦◦ Captains are single bases who are not part of any
platoon
• Platoons consists of four bases, one of which is the
lieutenant who leads it
019
Getting ready to play
Before we dive into the rules, you first need to know
how to pick an army, and how to set up the battlefield.
What You’ll Need
In order to fight a battle in Age of Tyrants you’ll need to
have the following to hand:
• The Age of Tyrants rules
• A company (or more) of Age of Tyrants bases to rep-
resent each player’s army
• Some six-sided dice
• A ruler or tape measure
• A flat playing area
◦◦ A playing area of 4’x4’ is sufficient for a battle fea-
turing one company a side (34 bases total)
◦◦ If you’re playing with multiple companies a side,
as a rule of thumb, add a 4x4 area for every two
additional companies
• Model terrain to place on your playing area. Most
gamers use a mixture of homemade and shop-bought
terrain pieces
• Base cards. These provide handy reference for the
stats and special rules of your bases
• a 3’’ radius Area Effect template
• Counters. Several game events require counters to
track them.
020
Choosing your Army
Some troops and tanks are better than others, and in order
to provide a more balanced and fun game each base has
been given a points value based on how effective it is in
battle. You and your opponent should agree on a points
limit for your armies before the game starts.
You can take an army that costs fewer points than your
agreed total, but not more. We’d recommend that the
points difference between your armies should be no more
than 10% to ensure a fair match.
• You can play with more than one company a side if you
wish, but we recommend starting with one
• A company consists of four fixed platoons plus a captain.
The captain is a separate base that does not belong to
any platoon
• A typical light company of mainly infantry is around 23-25
points
• A typical mixed platoon of infantry and vehicles will be 30-
40 points
• A typical heavy platoon of all armour will be 40+ points
 Base Cards Faction
Each base has a profile card on which you will find a set Points
of values and special rules that describe how good it is at
different aspects of battle: movement, combat, and so on.
Portrait
Take all of the cards that correspond to the bases in your
army and separate them into piles based on the platoon
they’re in (remember, captains aren’t part of any platoon,
so place them separately). Lay these out next to the play-
ing area in their platoon groupings for handy reference
during play.
Name
• Name: Don’t think we need labour the point with this
one - it’s what the base is called
• Role: There are two main roles bases can have: Combat values
◦◦ Personnel: Foot soldiers. The little
guys. They tend to be fragile, but can
make effective use of cover and defen-
sible terrain Special rules
◦◦ Materiel: Usually heavily armoured
vehicles that act as primary firebases, Move + Move type
transports and heavy support. They’re
big and dangerous Size

SR + Role

021
Getting ready to play
• Size: This value represents how big an individual
model is relative to other models. Smaller models can
make better use of concealing terrain
• SR: This stands for Suppression Resistance and is
used to calculate combat results when the base is at-
tacked. The higher this value is, the less damage the
base is likely to take
• Move: This value represents how far the base can
move in inches, if given an order that requires it to
move. The type of terrain the base is moving through,
its special abilities, and the specific order it’s been
given can all affect this value. Along with the number
there is a type of locomotion listed. The possible types
are:
◦◦ Foot: The individuals in the base move
on foot
◦◦ Jump: The individuals on the base are
equipped with powerful jump packs that
allow them to leap over terrain and ob-
stacles
◦◦ Wheels\Tracks: The base’s main meth-
od of locomotion relies on wheels or
tracks, which get slowed down over dif-
ficult terrain
022
◦◦ Hover: The base floats above the
ground using gravity field manipulation
or vectored thrust, enabling it to glide
over terrain
• Points: Each base has a points value that reflects how
effective it is in battle relative to other bases. When
you play a game, each side has a limit (often the same
for both sides, but they may be different depending on
the type of encounter), which the total points value of
your bases must not exceed
• Ranges: Combat is carried out within several defined
range bands in Age of Tyrants. The values shown
here are in inches:
◦◦ 0-4 Close Assault: This is the range band at
which hand-to-hand combat and close assault
weapons such as grenades come into play
◦◦ 4-9 Short: At this range certain weapons are more
effective, such as carbines, shotguns, etc.
◦◦ 9-24 Medium: Most small arms and direct fire ve-
hicle weapons are optimised for this range band
and it is the distance at which most firefights take
place
◦◦ 24-48 Long: This range band is the preserve of
high-powered sniper rifles and long-range artillery
• Combat Values: Each range entry has a set of values Setting up the Playing Area
that determine how well the base performs in combat
at that range. The higher the value the more effective The first thing to do is put down terrain on the playing
the base is, and if it’s 0, the base cannot engage the area. A playing area of 4’x4’ is sufficient for a battle featur-
enemy at that range band. These values are: ing a medium sized company on each side.
◦◦ AP: Stands for Anti-Personnel. This value deter-
mines how effective the base is against Personnel
targets
◦◦ AM: Stands for Anti-Materiel. This value deter-
mines how effective the base is against Materiel
targets
◦◦ S: Stands for Support. This value determines how
effective the base is at providing support fire
• Special Rules: This section lists any special advan-
tages or disadvantages the base is subject to. For ex-
ample the ability to transport personnel bases, or fire
in any direction from a turret. See the army lists for
each unit’s special rules, and the section on Special
Rules for details on how each one works

023
Getting ready to play
Terrain • Objects: Objects are distinctive individual features
that are usually smaller or narrower than areas (e.g.
There are two broad categories of terrain, areas and lakes, ravines, rivers, an interplanetary communica-
objects, which are defined thus: tions relay, etc.).
◦◦ As with areas, there are lists by faction of the dif-
• Areas: Areas cover, well, areas of the tabletop (e.g. a ferent objects you may encounter in the Faction
steaming alien swamp, frozen taiga, or a demilitarized section of the rules
urban war zone). ◦◦ Objects are never moved aside to make way for
◦◦ Each of the warring factions has a different set bases, so if they’re impassable, the base must go
of area terrain it is likely to fight over - these are around or use a crossing point
listed in the Factions section
◦◦ Areas have characteristics that determine how a
base is affected when it moves into that terrain
◦◦ Areas should be clearly defined on the tabletop,
which you can do by placing a piece of coloured
fabric or card down to represent the area, and
placing terrain items on top of it (e.g. clumps of
reeds and alien trees for a forested swamp, or
factories and warehouses for an industrial facility).
These are purely decorative and are not objects
as defined below
◦◦ When moving bases through terrain areas, you
may move any decorative terrain pieces aside to
place bases (so long as the limits of the area re-
main clear)

024
 Terrain Characteristics • Impassable: The name pretty much nails it. Most
bases have to go around this type of object. Long,
The terrain characteristics of areas and objects are used linear impassable features such as rivers or ravines
in the rules to work out things like movement penalties, that could potentially go all the way across the playing
defensive properties, concealment, and so forth. The list area should include a crossing point for every 12’’
of characteristics is:
• Road: Road sections affect the movement of bases.
Most bases move faster on this type of terrain
• Difficult Going: Terrain with this characteristic affects
the movement of bases. Tracked and wheeled bases
move at a slower rate than usual when in it
• Elevated: Bases on this type of terrain can see over
the tops of intervening models and terrain
• Flat: Flat terrain features do not block line of sight,
but may have other qualities such as difficult going or
impassable
• Defensible: Defensible terrain enables some types
of base to use the terrain to their advantage against
enemy attacks
• Shelter: Terrain that provides shelter reduces the ef-
fects of enemy artillery
• Concealment: Bases within concealing terrain may
not be visible to enemy bases, depending on the size
of the models and how far from the edge of the terrain
they are

025
Getting ready to play
Placing Terrain
You and your opponent can agree on your own method
of placing terrain (you may even have fixed battle-boards
with all the terrain already on them), or you can use our
method below. If you’re involved in competition play, we’d
recommend the latter.

One player gets to place all the terrain, this player is

known as the defender. His opponent will be the attacker.
It is usual for the terrain placed by the defender to be
taken from their faction’s terrain selection.

• Linear features (i.e. long thin ones), if you’re going to

have them, such as rivers and ravines are placed first.
Linear features count as objects
◦◦ You can have up to three of these on a 4’x4’ play-
ing area
◦◦ Impassable linear features such as deep rivers or
ravines must have one crossing point for every 12’’
of the feature. These should be at least 8’’ apart

Linear Features

026
• Roads must be at least 2’’ across
◦◦ You can have two of these on a 4’x4’ playing area
◦◦ They must start on a table edge
◦◦ Roads should either terminate at a built up area
(you’ll add built up areas in the next stage, so run
the road to where you want it to go), or exit the
playing area on a different table edge to the one
they came in on
◦◦ If the road crosses an impassable linear feature,
lay it over the feature at a crossing point

Roads

027
Getting ready to play
Areas and Objects
Finally, place any remaining areas and objects on to the
playing area.

• You should aim to cover between 25% and 50% of

your playing area with areas and objects
◦◦ Areas and objects generally shouldn’t be bigger
than 6’’ on a side, but you can include larger ones
that count as two or more items, or lay several
items of the same type so they’re touching to cre-
ate a larger area
• If terrain overlaps objects (e.g. roads, rivers, etc.),
place the objects so they are on top of the terrain.
Use the rules for the objects when moving over them,
ignoring the rules for any terrain underneath
• Difficult going or impassable terrain may not be placed
within 6’’ of a crossing point over an impassable linear
feature (to prevent access being blocked)
• Man made areas such as factories, towns, mining
facilities, etc. may include a perimeter wall, fence or
ditch
◦◦ There must be at least one 2’’ wide entrance to
permit access to the area (if a road passes into or
through the area, it must go through an entrance) Areas and Objects

028
 Deployment
After all the terrain has been set down on the playing area,
it’s time to place the armies. This is called deployment.

The attacker picks a side of the playing area and places

one of his bases as follows:
• Bases must be placed within 6” of the edge of the
playing area
• Bases cannot be placed on impassable terrain
• The defender then places one of his bases within 6” of
the opposite table edge
• The attacker and defender then take turns placing a
base, until all bases have been placed.

Deployment

029
To Battle!
After deployment you’re ready to fight. The battle plays
out over a series of turns.
During a turn, players determine initiative to decide who
goes first. The first player chooses a leader to issue orders
and his bases move, fight, or recover as they were com-
manded. Their opponent then selects one of their leaders
and issues orders of his own. Players continue to take
turns in this way until all bases in both armies have been
ordered and have acted. If neither side has won the battle
then a new turn begins.
The Game Turn
The way each player uses his leaders to issue orders is the
heart of the game. Each leader has a number of command
points available for issuing orders each turn. A leader’s com-
mand points are listed as a special rule on their profile card.
Follow this sequence for each game turn:
• At the beginning of each turn you must roll dice to de-
termine who goes first. This is called initiative.
◦◦ Each player rolls a dice
◦◦ The player who scores highest can elect to go
first, or they can make their opponent go first
030
• The first player chooses a single leader to issue or-
ders with. Most have 4 command points; Syntha 3
• Each order the leader issues costs command points.
A leader does not have to give each base the same
order, so a single leader may order some bases to
move, others to attack, and others to do something
entirely different. The costs in command points per
base ordered are as follows:
◦◦ Issuing an order to a base from the leader’s own
unit (i.e. a captain’s company or a lieutenant’s pla-
toon) costs one command point + the number of
suppression points on the ordered base
◦◦ Issuing an order to a base already aboard a trans-
port (from any unit) costs one command point +
the number of suppression points on the ordered
base. This is because transports often carry bas-
es from different units and it is understood they
will receive orders to attack, dismount, etc. from
leaders other than their own
◦◦ Issuing an order to a base from any other unit
costs 2 command points + the number of suppres-
sion points on the ordered base
◦◦ The leader can also give itself an order for one
command point + the number of suppression
points on the leader
• Issue orders one at a time, resolving each as you go
along. If the order involves more than one base (e.g.
one base firing at a target with another base provid-
ing support) then order all of them at once, and do all
of the movement for all of the bases involved before
resolving the rest of the order
• On completion of each order, place an activation
counter next to each base to indicate that it has had
a go this turn
◦◦ The activation counter has two sides, one side is
for standard activation, and the other is vulner-
able (meaning it’s not being cautious and enemy
bases will get a bonus to attack it)
◦◦ Some orders require you to place a vulnerable ac-
tivation counter next to a base (e.g. moving at the
double)
◦◦ If a leader issued an order to himself then he will
be marked with an activated or vulnerable counter
as described in that order
◦◦ If a leader issued orders to other bases, but did
not issue one to himself, then they must still be
marked as activated
• When the chosen leader has spent all the command
points he wants to, place an activation counter next to
it (or vulnerable if the leader carried out an order that
requires it), and play passes to their opponent, who
selects one of their leaders to give an order
◦◦ The leader does not have to spend all of his com-
mand points in a turn, but any unspent points are
lost
• Play continues to alternate like this until all available
leaders have given orders
◦◦ After all the leaders have given orders, if a player
has no remaining unactivated leaders when it is
their turn to perform an order, and they still have
unactivated bases in play, then they choose a sin-
gle base to perform a individual action (see Indi-
vidual Actions later)
◦◦ If all of a player’s bases have either an activated
or vulnerable counter next to them, then their op-
ponent goes again
◦◦ Once all bases on both sides have activation or
vulnerable counters on them, the turn ends
• Remove all activation, smoke and vulnerable coun-
ters from the playing area
031
To Battle!
Play then moves on to a new turn with a new roll for initiative.
• The battle ends as soon as one side has fewer than
50% of the bases they started the game with left in
play. The other player is the victor
Before we get on to the list of orders, there are a few
things you need to be aware of, namely:
• Suppression, which represents the combination of
physical and psychological damage a base suffers
over the course of a battle
• How different terrain properties affect the movement
of bases
• The correct way to measure distances between bases
and objects
• Line of Sight
Suppression
Suppression affects orders adversely, and occurs when
fatigue, shellshock and casualties take their toll on bases,
causing the chain of command to break down. In Age of
Tyrants this is tracked by suppression points, which are
counters placed beside the base. Suppression is added
by enemy attacks and bombardments.
032
• The number of suppression points a base has affects
its performance by increasing the number of com-
mand points it takes to give it an order
• A base that suffers a total of 3 or more suppression
points is destroyed. Personnel bases are removed
from the playing area, vehicles are left where they are
and get a wreckage marker placed on them
Terrain and Movement
Different types of battlefield terrain help or hinder the
movement of bases in different ways, depending on their
primary means of locomotion. For example, tracked vehi-
cles may get bogged down in swamps.
• When bases move from one terrain type to another,
they continue their move according to the rules for the
new terrain type
◦◦ E.g. an Octoris Falx base with Move 8 moves 4”
before it reaches the edge of a stone forest that
is Difficult Going. The remainder of its move is
halved while in the stone forest, so it may move a
further 2” on this terrain
◦◦ If they exit the terrain again, use the new terrain
type to calculate any remaining move
Entering Difficult Terrain Crossing Difficult Terrain 1

In the example a transport with Move 8 moves 1” onto a

shallow ravine that is 3” across. Because it moves at half
rate on the ravine it counts the 3” as 6” for crossing it. So
far it has used 7” of its Move 8. When it emerges on the
opposite side, it may move one more inch

033
To Battle!
• A base that begins its move straddling both normal Foot
going and a terrain type that changes movement is Foot bases are only affected by impassable terrain, which
considered to be on the more difficult terrain type if they may not cross.
any part of its front edge is in it.
Jump
Jump bases are affected by terrain as follows:

• Bases making a jump move ignore all obstacles and

terrain in their path, they simply leap over the top of
it all
• Bases with Jump cannot receive At the Double orders

Wheeled/Tracked
Wheeled bases are affected by terrain as follows:

• Bases moving on Difficult Going do so at half rate

• Bases moving on roads do so at double rate

Hover
Hover bases are affected by terrain as follows:

• Bases can move over flat impassable terrain such as

deep rivers, lakes and ravines
Crossing Difficult Terrain 2

034
 Measuring Distances
In Age of Tyrants, all distances are measured in inches. So,
when a number denoting a distance appears in the rules, it
is always in inches (e.g. the movement rate of a base, or the
range of its weapons).
When measuring a distance from a base or model to another
object on the tabletop, you should measure from the nearest
part of the base or model to the nearest part of the object.
• You may pre-measure distances before committing to
an action (e.g. checking the range before shooting)
Measuring
Line of Sight
At its most basic, if you can’t see an enemy base then you
can’t attack it. The rules for Line of Sight are:
• Trace a line from the centre of the firing base to the
centre of the target base. Provided there are no ob-
structions along the line, there is said to be a clear
LOS (line of sight). Other bases and terrain may
cause obstructions
Clear LOS
035
To Battle!
A few weapons do not need a clear LOS to attack. These
weapons have the Indirect Fire special rule.
• Intervening terrain blocks LOS unless it is Flat
Terrain Blocking LOS
036
• All bases from both sides block LOS unless either
the firing base or its target is larger than the blocking
base (e.g. personnel can shoot over other personnel
to hit a tank beyond and vice versa)
Friendly Base Blocking LOS
• Concealing terrain blocks LOS if a base within the
terrain is further from the edge than its size stat in
inches. Smaller units are easier to hide. For example,
an LOS that passes through 2 inches of dense forest
before it reaches a size 1 target base will be blocked.
If a size 3 target base had been in the same position
then the LOS would not be blocked by the forest
• Attack Arc: Most weapons have an attack arc of 180°
to the front, so if your base is facing the target, you’re
good to attack it. A base cannot attack a target that
lies outside its attack arc.
◦◦ If a weapon has a different firing arc for different
weapons (e.g. a turret-mounted gun), this will be
noted in its special rules
Elevated Terrain
• Elevated Terrain: Bases on top of elevated terrain
can see over the tops of other bases and intervening
terrain to shoot at enemy bases beyond
◦◦ If the centre of the target base from the firer is more
than 4” away from an intervening base or terrain
piece that would block LOS, then the LOS is clear
◦◦ If an intervening base is, itself, obscured by some-
thing in front of it, then it doesn’t count as obscur-
ing a base behind it, it’s effectively rendered invis-
ible by the object in front of it for LOS purposes
037
To Battle!
Orders • Move each base up to its move rate in inches, taking
into account any modifiers and rules for terrain en-
Once an order has been issued and the player has countered
decided which base or bases will perform it, move on to • Bases can make as many turns as they wish and
the actual execution of the order. should always move in the direction of their front face
after turning
• On completion of an order, place an activation or vul- • When turning a base, pivot it around its centre. Pivot-
nerable counter next to any bases that participated ing does not cost any movement
in it
◦◦ The specific order that was carried out will list
what type of counter this should be. Both types
show that the base may not be given another or-
der, later in the turn
• Once a leader has finished spending command
points, place an activation or vulnerable counter next
to it, whether it carried out an order or not

Move
The move order is the standard way in which your bases
manoeuvre on the battlefield. Some other orders also
include movement for the bases involved, in addition to
their other activities. In all cases, the rules for movement
are as follows:
Facing and Pivoting

038
• Bases may not move or pivot through impassable ter-
rain or enemy bases
• Personnel can move through friendly bases (called
interpenetration) providing they do not end their move
with overlapping bases
• Vehicles may move through friendly personnel bases
but cannot move through other vehicles
Interpenetration
• Personnel may complete their move orders by boarding
a transport, provided there is room to do so
◦◦ When a personnel base boards a transport, re-
move it from the playing area and put it, along with
its activation counter and any suppression points
with an occupation counter (a coloured numbered
counter for tracking bases in transports and simi-
lar situations)
Boarding
039
To Battle!
◦◦ On the playing area, place an occupation coun-
ter with the same number and colour next to the
transport
• Bases already aboard transports may dismount if giv-
en a move order (remember, any leader can issue
orders to a base aboard a transport at the cost of 1
command point + the number of suppression points
on the base)
• Move each base that is to dismount in turn. Place
it flush with any side of the troop carrier base, then
move it away up to their full movement rate, account-
ing for terrain as normal
• If there is an impassable terrain object or any other
base within a base width of the troop carrier, then bas-
es cannot dismount on that side

Dismount

040
 At the Double
At the double orders throw caution to the wind and move
bases as fast as they can go. Bases moving at the double
can be in trouble if they are attacked, because they aren’t
moving cautiously. The rules are as follows:
• Move each base up to double its move rate in inches,
taking into account any modifiers and rules for terrain
encountered
• Bases use the same rules for facing and turning as
described under move orders
• Personnel may mount a carrier as described above,
but you may not give at the double orders to person-
nel already aboard carriers
• Place vulnerable activation counters next to the
bases
◦◦ The activation counters we provide can be flipped
over to denote a base that is vulnerable
• Remember that a base with a movement type of Jump
cannot be given this order
Pop Smoke
This is an order that can only be carried out by lieutenants,
to temporarily block LOS for the purposes of advancing on
the enemy. The rules are as follows:
• The lieutenant may move up to its normal move rate
and place its smoke counter anywhere within 8’’ and
LOS
• Smoke behaves as concealing terrain. When check-
ing LOS that passes near a smoke counter, place the
centre of the circular Area Effect template over the
counter
◦◦ LOS through the template is blocked, and any
bases covered by the template count as being in
concealing terrain
• Remove any smoke counters from the game (i.e. they
cannot be re-used) at the end of the turn in which they
were used
041
To Battle!
Rest & Recuperation (R&R)
This is how you remove suppression points from bases.
If bases can get away from the fighting and just take a
breather for a few minutes, it allows them to treat injuries,
make repairs and above all regain some of their stamina
and morale. The rules are as follows:

• Move the base up to its normal movement rate. In ad-

dition, you may remove one suppression point if:
◦◦ No enemy base is within 6”, and
◦◦ No enemy base has a clear LOS to the unit

R&R

042
 Attack & Support
Attack orders are the main way your bases destroy the
enemy. Support orders allow more than one base to fire
at the same target. The following rules apply to attacking
enemy bases:
• Choose one of your bases to carry out the attack or-
der. It may move up to its normal move rate to take up
an attacking position. However, if it makes any move
place a vulnerable counter on it after the attack
◦◦ Pivoting to face the enemy does not count as a
move in this case
• Decide whether the attacking base will use AM or AP
fire and attack the closest enemy base (within range,
LOS and fire arc) of the type you choose
Bravo Teams have a bazooka, so they ignore the closer
Principes to attack the Falx
Target Priority
• You may gang up on a single enemy base by issuing
support orders to other friendly bases. Spend com-
mand points according to the usual rules for issuing
orders to get more bases to support an attack
◦◦ A supporting base may move up to its normal
move rate. However, if it makes any move place a
vulnerable counter on it after resolving the attack
Pivoting to face the enemy does not count as a
move in this case
• Supporting bases must be able to hit the target base
according to their normal rules for range, LOS and at-
tack arc. Ignore target priorities here, they only apply
to the attacking base
043
To Battle!
• Bases on-board transports may also attack or be used
to support an attack
◦◦ Move the bases out of the transport, as per the
rules under movement for dismounting
◦◦ Individual bases that dismounted may support or
attack as usual. Place a vulnerable counter on
them if they do
◦◦ You may do this by giving the transport an at-
tack order. After it has moved and bases have
dismounted, you may choose to make one of the
personnel bases the attacker and support with the
transport, or use the transport as the attacker and
support with personnel bases

In Fig i the Tribune moves close to the Alpha teams to

assault them. The plan is to have each of its Principes
passengers attack an Alpha Team, and it will support one
of the attacks.

In Fig ii the Principes teams dismount and move forward

to get as close as possible to the Alpha Teams.

Dismount and Attack

044
• To resolve an attack, roll 1d6 and add the attacking Destroyed
base’s AM or AP value (whichever is applicable) plus If the result is destroyed or the base accumulates too
any modifiers that apply: many suppression counters, do the following:
◦◦ +2 if the target has a vulnerable counter
◦◦ +1 attacking from an elevated position • Personnel bases are removed from the play area
◦◦ + sum of support values of all support bases • Leave vehicles where they were destroyed and place
◦◦ +X for any special rules or command cards (see a wreckage marker on them. They are now impass-
later) able obstacles that block LOS
• Your opponent also rolls 1d6 and adds the target ◦◦ If a transport is destroyed, all personnel on board
base’s SR value to it immediately bail out according to the normal rules
◦◦ Add +1 to the result if the base has the defender for dismounting. Each base has a vulnerable
special rule, and it is in defensible terrain counter and a point of suppression placed on it
• Subtract the target’s total from the attacker’s total and ◦◦ If there is no room for personnel to bail from a
apply the following results: destroyed transport, all personnel left aboard are
Total Base Result destroyed too
Less than 1 No effect
1-3 Add 1 SP
Special Ability Orders
4-5 Add 2 SP Some bases have the ability to perform special orders,
6 or more Destroyed such as fire bombardments or make effective use of
• If the target base already has suppression points on cover, which are listed in the special rules on their profile.
it and takes enough to exceed 2 SP in total, then it is
destroyed • Each ability has its own special rules for the circum-
stances in which it can be used and what its effects
are. See special rules later.

045
To Battle!
Individual Actions
After all available leaders have issued orders, players
may have some bases on the playing area that did not
receive an order. Players now use those bases to perform
individual default actions, as follows:
• Use one base at a time when performing default ac-
tions, then pass play to your opponent
• Only the currently active base can perform the action.
You may not pull in any additional support bases for
combat
• Once the action is completed, place an activation/vul-
nerable counter next to the base as usual, and play
passes to the next player
Special Rules
Many bases have special rules listed on their profiles. The
special rules have a variety of effects, including modifying
combat scores and the ability to carry out special orders,
either directly or in support of combat. Some special rules
require that an order be given to use them; others just
work in the appropriate circumstances. Special rules can
either be on the profile of a particular weapon carried by a
base, or be part of the base’s profile.
046
360o Attack
Many vehicle bases have turrets or all round weapon ports
that allow them to attack the enemy irrespective of their facing:
• Bases with 360° attack ignore the requirements for attack
arcs
Bombard
Artillery and some other bases have the capability to bombard
the enemy. This is generally done to disrupt their movements,
deny ground, and cause suppression prior to directly attack-
ing. In order to bombard, the bases possessing the ability
must be given an order to do so. The rules are as follows:
• Bombard has a number when it appears on profiles - the
higher this number the more powerful the bombardment
• As with attack orders and support, you may spend com-
mand points to pull in multiple bases to carry out a bom-
bardment. It is usual for one of these to act as spotter as
the others are often out of line of sight from the target
◦◦ The spotting base does not have to be artillery (usu-
ally the lieutenant in an artillery squadron takes this
role)
◦◦ If the spotting base is artillery, it still counts as part of
the bombardment
• Pick a point on the ground that can be seen by the spotter
(according to normal rules for LOS) and place the circular
Area Effect template with its centre over that point
◦◦ The target point must be at least 9 inches away from
the bombarding bases
• Every base touched by the template is affected by the
bombardment
• For each base under the template, roll 1d6 and add the
sum of the bombard values of participating bases to gen-
erate a result.
• Each target base then rolls 1d6 plus its SR and subtracts
that from the result
• The following modifiers apply:
◦◦ Add +1 to the bombard result if a target base has a
vulnerable counter on it
◦◦ Add +1 to the target’s SR if attacking a base that is in
terrain with the shelter characteristic
◦◦ Add +1 to the target’s SR If the target base uses the
cover special rule
• Check the total against the following table and apply the
result to the target base:
Total Base Result
1 or less No effect
2-3 Add Activation counter
Total Base Result
4-5 Add Vulnerable counter
6 or more Add Vulnerable counter + 1 SP
• If a base already has an activation counter on it and it
gains a second activation counter from a a bombard-
ment, place a vulnerable counter on it instead
• As with attack results, if any bases are destroyed by
taking too many suppression points, remove person-
nel and leave vehicles where they are with a wreck-
age counter on them
Camouflage
Camouflage is a passive ability that prevents enemy units
from targeting them. The rules are as follows:
• A base with camouflage in concealing terrain cannot
be the target of an attack order even if it is close to the
edge of that terrain
• Bases with camouflage may not be the target of attack
orders if there are other enemy bases that don’t have
the ability within range and line of sight
• Bases with camouflage gain +1 SR against bombard
orders if they are in concealing terrain
047
To Battle!
Command
Bases with this special rule are leaders and they can
give orders to other bases in battle. The number after the
command listing denotes how many command points the
leader starts with.
• Lieutenant: Lieutenants are in charge of platoons. It
costs them an additional command point to give an
order to base outside their own platoon
• Captain: Captains are in charge of companies. It
costs them an additional command point to give an
order to base outside their own company
Cover
Bases that are attacked by bombard orders can immedi-
ately take cover, provided they don’t have an activation
counter on them.
• If they do so, add +1 to their SR. This is cumulative
with shelter
• Using the cover ability places an activation counter on
the base
048
Defender
Bases with this special rule are harder to kill in defensible
terrain.
• Add +1 to the base’s SR while it is in defensible terrain
Indirect Fire
As alluded to in the LOS rules, some weapons do not
require the shooter to be able to see the target, or indeed
have a clear LOS to it.
• For an attack order, the attacking base must have
LOS to the target according to the normal rules, but
bases supporting the attack with Indirect Fire need not
have LOS
◦◦ The target must still be within the support base’s
arc of attack and range
• Indirect fire ignores terrain and other obstacles that
would block line of sight either by simply launching
the projectile over the top of obstacles, homing in on
the target, or by creating a destructive effect at the
target point by means of, for example, wave or particle
manipulation
 Pop Smoke
All lieutenants are equipped with smoke grenades. Personnel
lieutenants can throw them and vehicles launch them from
grenade tubes. The smoke is a dense suspension of particles
that reflects and disrupts all known targeting systems. Use
smoke as follows:
• Smoke is a limited resource. At the start of the game, each
lieutenant you have has a single smoke counter
• See the Pop Smoke order for full rules on its use
SPOMM
SPOMM stands for Synapsed Prime Obsidian Matrix
Mind, which is a type of artificial brain made from prime
obsidian. All Syntha bases described in this book have
SPOMM minds, which means that although tactically lim-
ited (Syntha AI armies are inferior at pulling off effective
co-ordinated manoeuvres), they never tire, never panic,
and never break the chain of command:
• When giving orders to bases with SPOMM do not add
suppression points to the number of command points
required
Troop Carrier
Bases with this special rule can transport personnel bases
across the battlefield.
• When Troop Carrier is noted on a profile, it has a number
next to it which is equal to the maximum number of per-
sonnel bases it carry at any time
• Full rules for how to mount and dismount passengers,
and how to deploy them in combat, can be found in the
Orders section
Final Note
This is quite a hefty set of rules, but it doesn’t have an
answer for every single situation that could possibly arise
when you play. Sometimes something unforeseen will hap-
pen that is open to interpretation. If you can’t agree on how
to resolve the situation, don’t let it spoil the flow of your
game, just let fate decide. Roll a dice or flip a coin, and let
the winner decide how to play it this time. You can discuss
the matter at length after the game, canvass other opinions,
search the net for answers, or come up with a house rule
for it. Even better, let us know about it and we can give an
official ruling on how to handle such situations in future, at
http://www.ageoftyrants.com.
049
Forces
Sec Net Bulletin, Gate 1 / Region A8: 13.38 : 20 hours
If you are reading this bulletin, then you have the
honour of serving the Protectorate aboard one
of our KV-18 Ikon main battle tanks, our main
such ground vehicle, and one which has proven
its effectiveness time and again, both in urban
pacification and in outright warfare. In the course
of your duties, you may be called upon to work
alongside other Tripartite troops, or to face law-
less factions who make use of their equipment.
In either case, this bulletin exists to help you to
understand the capabilities and doctrine of other
Tripartite designs, and making you better able to
serve the Protectorate as a result.
- Lieutenant Colonel Kustrin.
050
Viridian Armoured Units
The Viridians were the first human faction to deploy inter-
planetary task-forces, and many analysts still consider the
VAF to be the metric against which a military force should be
measured; indeed, historically, Viridian Marine units have
provided the model for infantry and mechanised formations
across the galaxy. Modern Viridian doctrine is very much a
product of the lessons learned during the Second War of
Secession against the rebels on Ironglass (who would go
on to found the Ironglass Imperium), and which remains
the largest-scale offworld campaign waged by any human
power. One of the ways this can be seen is the modular
nature of Viridian armoured units: armoured vehicles with
different roles will often share the same basic hulls or com-
mon components. This is because a unit operating on a
hostile planet may not be able to rely on acquiring supplies
locally, and even if it can, these may not be compatible with
the vehicles they use. As a result, Viridian doctrine (and,
indeed, the doctrine of most Tripartite member-states)
stresses that a commander should work on the assump-
tion that he may have to rely on the parts his expeditionary
force brought with them. It might not be the stuff of holo-
serials, but efficient logistics saves lives.

Despite a number of stunning victories by General Barker
and his troops, the Second War of Secession is remem-
bered today as a disastrous defeat for the Viridians, a fact
which has contributed in no small measure to the inordi-
nate amounts of money which the Viridian Assembly is
prepared to throw to ensure that human casualties remain
at a minimum. This can be seen not only in the medivac
aircraft regularly used by Viridian forces, but also at pla-
toon level, where a mechanised platoon’s Direwolf APC,
which holds its own dedicated medic and fully-equipped
triage station, allowing wounded soldiers to be quickly
pulled back for treatment in relative safety.
Viridian
Likewise, the Viridian Assembly appreciates how psycho-
logically and physically taxing battle can be, and attempts
to mitigate these factors: it deals with the former by giving its
troops limited tours of duty in any given warzone: between
three months and two years, depending on how gruelling the
campaign is expected to be. As for physical factors, one of
the ways in which this is dealt with in armoured and mecha-
nised units is which the provision of environmental condi-
tioning systems in any armoured vehicle, to ensure that
internal temperatures stay at reasonable levels: during the
Secession War, tank units obliged to operate in the scorch-
ing heat of the Red Erg desert quickly found themselves
suffering from severe heat-fatigue, something which the
more mobile rebel units (whose crews were often equipped
with the stillsuits upon which the environment suits worn by
today’s Legionaries were based) were quick to capitalise on.
One of the most recognisable traits of Viridian armour is the
bubble-canopies featured on most of their vehicles. Viridian
strategists determined that, in a tank-on-tank conflict with
vehicles of similar capabilities, the winner is usually the side
which fires the first shot. The reinforced glass of a Viridian
bubble-canopy may not be as durable as armour plating,
but they give a vehicle’s crew better awareness of their sur-
roundings, making it that much more likely that they’ll be the
ones to make the first sighting, the first shot, and the first kill.
051
Forces
Likewise, it gives a Viridian tank crew a better chance when
facing infantry at close range: one of the greatest advan-
tages an infantryman has against a tank in close-quarters
combat is that it’s usually very hard for the tank crew to tell
exactly where he is. It also helps reduce weight, helping
Viridian units to stay mobile and decisive, avoiding drawn-
out battles of attrition. This school of thought can also be
seen in the Lockstar Corporation radar equipment carried by
many Viridian armoured vehicles.
Viridians are famous for their all-purpose approach to war-
fare. This can be seen not only in the heavy grooved treads
and leaf-spring suspension present on most Viridian vehi-
cles, capable of dealing with all but the roughest of off-world
terrain, but also in the armament of many of the vehicles
themselves. For example, the Redactor gauss cannon
which is the main armament of the Broadsword, Viridia’s
main battle tank, fires steel flechettes the size of railway
spikes, and the distinctive whip-crack sound of a shot being
fired is caused by the round breaking the sound barrier.
The raw velocity of the Redactor’s shots is what gives the
Broadsword the power to punch through the armour of other
battle tanks, though the weapon’s rate of fire, and the tank’s
secondary machine guns, also give it considerable utility
against enemy infantry. Similarly, the Direwolf APC, as the
usual transport for a Viridian mechanised platoon, mounts
052
a wide range of weapons, including machine guns, a prow
grenade-launcher, and even a light gauss cannon, the intent
being to provide a mechanised platoon with the tools to
deal with whatever problems they may encounter (though
some early models were armed entirely with HMGs). That
being said, many consider the Direwolf’s cousin, the Bigfoot,
a more versatile fighting vehicle overall, due to its greater
anti-vehicle capability. The Direwolf’s machine guns and gre-
nade launcher both use a double-drum ammo feed system,
allowing the gunner to switch over to a fresh drum with no
reloading, keeping the vehicle’s firepower at optimal levels
for extended periods of time.
Viridian shock-and-awe tactics hold that battlefield domi-
nance can be ensured by decisively bringing all arms to
bear in coordinated assault. They’re known for providing
close artillery support to their forward units, in the form of
both the Buffalo, a well-balanced mobile tri-howitzer in the
standard Viridian model, and the Coyote, whose anti-tank
Sledgehammer missiles are intended to rapidly neutralise
enemy mobile elements, denying them the chance to retake
the initiative.
 Viridian
Viridian Manufacture and Supply It might seem like a conflict of interests for Assembly
members to be able to organise military contracts for
One of the benefits of the Viridian model of corporate themselves, but it should be remembered that Viridian sol-
democracy is that there is no need for the government to diers are share-holders, and that military service provides
negotiate with suppliers, since, to no small degree, those sometimes-lucrative share options. A corporation which
suppliers are the government (or, to be more precise, their provides substandard equipment is liable to find its share-
representatives hold seats on the Viridian Assembly). Since value (and, thus, its number of votes on the Assembly)
the most powerful megacorporations on the Assembly plummeting as a result.
often hold dominance in a particular field, the parts for a
single tank are often manufactured by a bewildering vari-
ety of different corporations, representative of the various
commercial interests which support the VAF: corporations
of all types will tender for military contracts, but those with
the most power on the Assembly will tend to dominate.
Occasionally, corporate struggle can be seen reflected
in vehicle design: recent years saw some fierce rivalry
between Interplanetary Pioneers and Wallace-Hume
Associates, both of whom manufacture, among other
things, T-cell generators for heavy vehicles. Since the
Great Melting, Viridia has been deeply concerned with
producing ecologically friendly power-plants, and Tritium
Fusion Cells, or ‘T-cells’ are one of their solutions: batter-
ies which turn water into ‘heavy water’ by converting the
hydrogen atoms into tritium through nuclear fusion, provid-
ing cheap, clean energy.

053
Viridian Broadsword
First Produced: 2781
Weight: 159 tonnes
Length: 13.75m
Width: 10.95m
Height: 6.6m
Crew: 8 (Commander, Comms
Operator, Driver, 5 x Gunners)
Top Speed: 42 km/h
Engine: Interplanetary
Pioneers HW-86 T-cell generator
Main weapon: 2 x Viridian
Amalgamated Magnetics M-10
twin-linked gauss cannon
Secondary weapons: Karas Arms
KA-279 ‘Sidewinder’
90mm howitzer
Viridian Amalgamated Magnetics
M-18 12.7mm heavy machine gun
(turret-mounted)
Karas Arms KA-234 12.7 heavy
machine gun (front)
2 x Karas Arms KA-231 7.62mm
twin-linked machine guns
(sponson-mounted)

054
 Viridian Direwolf
First Produced: 2786
Weight: 70 tonnes
Length: 11.14m
Width: 7.86m
Height: 6.32m
Crew: 8 (Commander, Comms
Operator, Driver, 4 x Gunners,
Medic)
Top Speed: 50 km/h
Engine: Wallace-Hume
Associates M-305 T-cell generator
Main weapons: Viridian
Amalgamated Magnetics M-10
twin-linked light gauss cannons
Viridian Amalgamated Magnetics
M-18 12.7mm twin-linked heavy
machine guns
Secondary weapons: Karas
Arms KA-119 40mm grenade
launcher (front)
2 x Karas Arms KA-231 7.62mm
machine guns (sponson mounted)

055
Forces
Junker Cohors Loricati
The savage twenty-two year conflict of the Second
Secession War helped to form the doctrine of the VAF,
but it was the very birthplace of the Junker Legions, not to
mention the cultural genesis of the Ironglass state, giving
rise to the stubborn determination and martial grit which
the Junkers are still known for today.
056
After rebels overwhelmed the Viridian garrison at Meridian
City and multiple other major settlements, General Barker,
commander of the expeditionary force sent to quell the
rebellion, realised that a direct assault on the rebel
strongholds would be playing into their hands, with the
close confines of the tunnels and habs placing his well-
equipped but less numerous Marines at a distinct disad-
vantage. Instead, he chose to wage a mobile war, cutting
off the rebel strongholds from food and war materiel by
attacking mining camps and the colossal Reaper sand-
harvesters, crewed by thousands of convicts, which har-
vest algae from the atmosphere and filter out iron dust to
make steel. The rebels’ response was to escalate the con-
flict: if Barker sought to cut them off from supplies, they
reasoned, then they would do the same, using piratical
raids to prey on Viridian supply ships sent to support the
expedition, seizing control of Metaurus space-port, and
seeking to overstretch the Viridians by launching attacks
of their own against smaller colonies such as Niflheim
and Avernus. Though these measures were effective, it
quickly became clear that merely delaying the Viridians
would not actively defeat them.

The waves of zealous rebel infantry which had over-
whelmed the Viridians at Meridian and Metaurus had
been effective, but their commanders knew that this would
count for little in a desert war, where the open terrain gives
a force with speed and range all the advantages.
The early rebel armoured units were a mixed bunch, but
probably the most famous was the Fulminata, a heavily-
converted Reaper fitted with a scavenged naval mass-
driver cannon. Though the rebels also fielded obsolete or
stolen Viridian vehicles, many of their vehicles were local
improvisations: by necessity, the convicts on Ironglass had
required a high level of technical self-sufficiency, and they
produced a remarkable number of skilled mechanics over
the course of the war. Even so, the Comitia Curiata, or
Curiate Committee, an organisation intended to promote
strategic teamwork between the various rebel factions,
considered the design and manufacture of standardised,
indigenous armoured vehicles to be a high priority. In
time, the Comitia morphed from a representative board of
revolutionary leaders into a tool of centralised control, and
they still maintain a tight grip on the Ironglass Imperium’s
valuable armoured units: each Junker battle tank has a
Lictor political officer aboard, where other factions might
have a comms operator. Most Junker tank crews are nor-
mal Legionaries, picked for political reliability or technically
Junkers
proficiency, but the Loricati tank-commanders tend to be
veteran former Legionaries or free volunteers, their loyalty
further encouraged by the lucrative bounties offered by
the Senate for tank-kills.
Owing to the limitations of infrastructure on many Junker
colonies, the Junkers prefer to keep their designs rela-
tively simple, easy for even a frontier world to stamp out
quickly, provided they have enough resources at hand
– indeed, Junker armoured vehicles have sometimes
been described as being more akin to mobile bunkers
than tanks. Unlike the Viridians, whose cast armour can
be more easily formed into rounded shapes (allowing for
armour which will deflect more shots), but which can be
relatively brittle, the Junkers make use of modular, riveted
armour, which can vary between polysteel and cerama-
plate, depending on local resources. Though strong, the
drawback is that powerful impacts can cause spalling,
leading to internal crew casualties as parts of the rivet
are knocked off at high velocity. Because of this, it’s not
uncommon for veteran Junker tank crews to wear full
Legionary armour, sacrificing comfort in favour of safety.
From the Senate’s point of view, the advantages are that
the tank is cheaper and quicker to produce, even with an
unskilled work-force, and that damaged armour plates
can be easily replaced, and
057
Forces
usable components more easily salvaged from destroyed
vehicles. Junker tanks are equipped as standard with
dust-filters and heat-reflecting paint for desert warfare.
The Junkers’ rugged design philosophy can also be seen
in their engines: the smoke-belching compression-ignition
engines manufactured by Vorax Gluto are designed so
that they can function perfectly adequately on low-qual-
ity fuels, such as the waste gases from blast-furnaces.
Certain Loricati contend that their engines will run on any-
thing, even liquor, though, if true, this might have as much
to do with the potent moonshines made on some Junker
colonies as with anything to do with the engine itself.
The Junkers are aware that they can’t match their rivals
in purely technological terms, and, in their own inimitable
fashion, they do their best to sidestep these limitations. than seventy Legionaries in full gear: usually more than
For example, while the Venator tank’s Scorpion gauss enough to overwhelm an enemy strongpoint. Finally, the
cannon is based on Viridian designs, Junker tech has Junker Legions are well known and justly feared for the
been unable to match the precision of Lockstar’s com- rolling incendiary barrages which precede their advances
puterised targeting systems. They make up for this with and the Inferno rockets of their Draco mobile launch unit
superior weight of fire: the human ear cannot make out (which supports many infantry Centuries as organic artil-
a Scorpion’s individual gunshots, hearing it instead as lery) is a classic example of such weapons. Just as terrify-
a continuous ripping noise. Likewise, the Octoris Falx ing are the perhaps excessive sixteen-inch shells lobbed
APC may not carry its troops in much comfort, providing by the Onager mobile gun platform: though far from the
straps hanging from the ceiling rather than actual seats, most accurate of weapons, even a near-miss is still capa-
but its cavernous troop bay is capable of holding more ble of obliterating many targets.

058

Junker Manufacture and Supply
The Junker Senate considers business to be “dirty”, not
wanting to seem like the “plutocratic” Viridian leaders,
but it wouldn’t be entirely true to say they stay out of it
entirely: it’s not uncommon for Senators to provide patron-
age to what could be tentatively described as Ironglass’
mercantile class. Some of these individuals will have
been born into mercantile dynasties, but of the remain-
der, many will be retired Legion officers: men and women
who’ve already proven their loyalty to the state, and who
may have gathered themselves sufficient plunder during
their military careers to support a mercantile one. In the
Ironglass Imperium, political power, money, and military
might are inextricably interlinked. From the point of view of
the Senators, this system serves the purpose of distanc-
ing themselves from any excesses that their merchant-
clients might commit. The Ironglass Imperium does not
practice slavery, but the truth is that conditions in some of
the enormous sweat-shops and labour camps are some-
times little better, and it suits the Senators to have plausi-
ble deniability if these come under VASA’s scrutiny.
The most established of these merchant consortiums
will tend to be headquartered aboard a Thanatos-class
Starfactory, which will inevitably bear the same name
Junkers
as the corporation, a planetoid-sized conglomeration of
steel, cobbled together from the wrecks of smaller ves-
sels (since no shipyard could be large enough to produce
such a monstrosity). The Starfactories, and the fleets of
salvage and factory vessels which accompany them, nick-
named ‘Vacuum Vultures’, will travel between resource
areas, be they planets, asteroids, or battlefields – even
space battlefields – salvaging anything of use, and mov-
ing on. The rugged design of Junker tanks and spacecraft
serves them well in this regard: short of complete destruc-
tion, there’s a fair chance that the Junker mechanics will
be able to return a disabled tank to working order, and
if this proves impossible, you can be assured that they’ll
strip it of any components that still work, allowing these
materials to be used again to churn out yet more engines
of war.
059
Junker Venator
First Produced: 2778
Weight: 194 tonnes
Length: 14.67m
Width: 8.05m
Height: 9.26m
Crew: 10 (Loricatus, Lictor, Driver,
6 x Gunners, Loader)
Top Speed: 39 km/h
Engine: Vorax Gluto CCXVIII V12
compression-ignition
Main weapon: Facta Ferrata
GR-VI ‘Scorpion’ rotary gauss can-
non
Secondary weapons: 5 x Aquila
Ignis FI-VIII ‘Cinis’ flamethower
pods (3 front, 2 rear)

060
 Junker Octoris Falx

First Produced: 2777

Weight: 103 tonnes
Length: 13.7m
Width: 7.98m
Height: 6.65m
Crew: 8 (Loricatus, Driver,
5 x Gunners, Engineer)
Top Speed: 46 km/h
Engine: Vorax Gluto CCV V12
compression-ignition
Main weapon: Jurio Ferrocain
GR-V ‘Falx’ rotary gauss cannon
Secondary weapons: 4 x Aquila
Ignis FI-VIII ‘Cinis’ flamethrower
pods (2 front, 2 rear)

061
Forces
Syntha Armoured Cores It says a lot for the effectiveness of the secrecy surround-
ing Syntha military capabilities that, when the renegade AI
The Syntha Collective have historically been secretive controlling Hephaestus Complex ordered its units to fire
and tight-lipped about their military capabilities, so some upon VASA troops in 2795, it did so with a fleet of hover-
of what follows will be, by necessity, speculative. It’s vehicles which were, as far as we know, entirely new in
easy to understand why they might be concerned about design – but whose effectiveness seems to have been
secrecy: superior technical knowledge is probably the sufficient that they are now a standard part of Syntha
greatest asset of the Syntha, one in which they are so defence Moras.
heavily invested that most Syntha colonies are chosen on
the basis of having special scientific interest or unusual
properties, rather than worlds naturally capable of sup-
porting life, or even necessarily of being able to maintain
a manufacturing base. This unspoken policy of secrecy
is only exacerbated by the lack of cultural interaction the
Syntha engage in: although the average Syntha citizen is,
within reason, provided with whatever they might need by
the state, they are discouraged from needless travel or
mingling with non-Syntha, and most feel little inclination
to: they see the rest of us as dangerously unpredictable
compared to the society they’re used to. Those of them
that do deal with the rest of the galaxy are mostly diplo-
matic or military personnel.

062

Part of the reason for this may be tied into the Syntha’s inter-
changeable and modular approach to war. Syntha Nodes,
Cells and Cores may be broken down into their component
units and reformed according to the needs of the tactical
situation (since, unlike human troops, synths do not ben-
efit from camaraderie or esprit de corps: one Gamma III
Tactical Androsynth is much like another). In a similar way,
many vehicles and even infantry units may be constituted
from the parts of others: the Persephone Transport recog-
nisably shares the same skeletal hull as certain syntha min-
ing vehicles and transit units, though of course upgraded
with a denser hull carapace and higher-grade engines.
Similarly, in an emergency, the Syntha have been know to
refit worker-synths with military-grade SPOMM brains and
march them to the field. Replacing the brain of a human
worker would be deplorable, but on a synth, nobody but the
most fervent of synthetic rights groups is going to complain.
In the past, it was more common to see human or semi-
human standards and prosthenes serving with Syntha
armies as part of their planetary service scheme, but the
Syntha appear to be in the process of phasing out such bio-
logical units from their battlefield forces, though you do still
see prosthene special forces operatives: even the Syntha
appreciate that the human brain provides a level of unpre-
dictability that an AI cannot mimic.
Syntha
It’s possible that the limitations of SPOMM may present a
flaw in the Syntha’s current program to phase out organic
soldiers from front-line operations: the tactical AIs mounted
aboard Syntha command vehicles are excellent at prob-
ability analysis, but can be predictable as a result. On a
lower level, a cybertank or androsynth soldier will follow
orders to the letter until successful or destroyed, but are
poor at showing personal initiative on a changing battle-
field.
It has been hypothesised that this is also the reason for
a number of quirks in the design of certain Syntha vehi-
cles: the current generation of Syntha tanks are fully-
automated AI units, and do not require crew of any kind,
but battle tanks like the Nemesis still maintain hatches
and internal crawlways, possibly as a relic of the parts on
which the vehicle is based, but possibly also as a means
to allow the vehicle’s interior to be serviced without need-
ing the vehicle to be entirely dismantled. As we learned at
Hephaestus, the tesla field generator which the Nemesis
mounts as a close-range defence weapon is embedded
quite deeply into its hull, and these crawlways do not
serve as cover against its effects.
063
Forces
The scientific principles behind which some of the equip-
ment with which Syntha vehicles are equipped is either
poorly understood or difficult to replicate outside the
Syntha Collective. Although Wallace-Hume Associates
have experimented with building ground-effect vehicles,
the air-cushion lift favoured by Wallace-Hume seems to
be of a different core design to Syntha grav-drives, which
appear to be based on the same principles as a space-
craft’s artificial gravity. Likewise, although many of our fleet
units mount energy weapons, miniaturising the generator
to the point where it’s practical in a ground war has proven
difficult: although it’s certainly possible to build an energy
weapon small enough to be used by a tank or weapon
team (such as the microwave dispersal cannons which
support our Suppressor units), to do so is expensive and
requires a technical base which not all planets can pro-
vide: it’s unlikely that gauss weapons or ballistic cannons
will be going away any time soon. The Syntha are less
constrained in this regard: because Syntha colonies are
so heavily focused on technical advancement, it’s easier
for them to deploy energy-weapon equipped armoured
vehicles than other factions, while the servo-augmented
strength of their androsynth infantry allow them to wield
pulse rifles the generators for which would be too heavy
for a normal human to carry.

064

The Syntha attempt to fully exploit the advantages offered
by their technology: AI targeting systems make it easy
for them to engage targets at extreme range, while the
plasma cannons mounted on the Nemesis grav-tank
and its self-propelled artillery variant will tear through
armour with frightening ease. One of the most curious
units in the Syntha’s grav-fleet, though, are their Drone
Carriers. Essentially a terrestrial aircraft carrier, but with-
out the sheer bulk or large crews which characterise such
vessels, these grav-tanks support swarms of las-cutter-
armed drones, which seem to have only a rudimentary AI,
but are remotely directed by their mother-craft’s SPOMM.
Much of the Drone Carrier’s internal space is devoted to
microfactories to repair or replace drones which are dam-
aged or destroyed in combat, and some Syntha Alphas
have taken to using these drones as screening elements
for airstrikes from true strike-craft, such as the vaunted
Ghost-class fighters. These drones can also serve as dis-
posable scouts, without needing to place more valuable
units at risk.
Syntha
Syntha Manufacture and Supply
The Syntha don’t really have an internal economy: in
return for work, any citizen may request goods or services
from the state, which will provide it if the request is rea-
sonable, and presumably their system of military supply
works in the same way. This being said, the Syntha do
maintain close ties with a number of satellite-states, non-
Syntha planetary governments whose worlds have some
resource the Syntha are interested in, and some of the
corporations of these worlds have been noted to show
decidedly Syntha characteristics. A good example might
be Horne and Ivory, based on the planet Persepolis, who
manufacture a range of optical augmetics and medicines,
and who also conduct extensive research into the human
brain and nervous system.
Though the Syntha system of automated manufacturing
and modular or interchangeable components must grant
Syntha colonies a high level of self-sufficiency, it can be
surmised that they must be dependent on Prime for their
supplies of Prime Obsidian, which are essential to the
manufacture of modern SPOMM, and which remains the
reason why nobody has seriously tried to compete with
the Syntha in the field of robotics.
[Further information redacted]
065
Syntha Nemesis

First Produced: 2795

Weight: 130 tonnes
Length: 15.87m
Width: 11.65m
Height: 6.13m
Crew: 0
Top Speed: 44 km/h
Engine: Chronos graviton
generator
Main weapon: Fluid plasma bolt
‘Starfire’ cannon
Secondary weapon:
Astrapaeus-class tesla
field generator

066
 Syntha Persephone

First Produced: 2795

Weight: 51 tonnes
Length: 12.86m
Width: 8.72m
Height: 4.97m
Crew: 0
Top Speed: 50 km/h
Engine: Chronos graviton
generator
Main weapon: Linked
‘Praxidike’ heavy pulse lasers

067
Forces
VASA Armoured Units The primary weapon of your KV-18 is a 152mm double-
barrelled Integrated OffeNsive (ION) cannon, designed by
VASA’s battlefield doctrine has not been formed by a sin- Invictor Arms. Integrated Offensive is more than a weapon
gle conflict: rather, our Suppressor Brigades have proven design: it’s a philosophy, one which can also be seen in
themselves repeatedly, both in brushfire wars, and acting as the ION lances wielded by your comrades in the Black
a de-facto colonial police force on worlds which require our Legion. By including many tactical options in the same
assistance. Probably the most famous ground engagement weapon, this allows you to rapidly adapt to changing bat-
of recent years was the defeat of the secessionist leader tlefield circumstances. For the Black Legion, that means
Gallus Nebrius Yg on Kalakan, in which VASA led a joint
Tripartite fleet which shut down the seditious agitator, who
had attempted to incite revolts across the galaxy against the
Tripartite Confederacy.
Though dramatic, the Kalakan incident is unlikely to be rep-
resentative of what you should expect in your tour of duty.
Although that conflict saw full-scale battle against Yg’s
traitor Legionaries, it is just as likely that you will be called
upon to suppress civilian riots – a threat to Tripartite order,
but not one which calls for lethal force. This is why your
KV-18 is equipped with multiple microwave dispersal pods.
Depending on energy setting, these can do anything from
causing irritation to the skin, through to burns and blisters,
to setting your target aflame, depending on the level of force
your commander deems necessary. As soon as the beam
moves away, the microwave beam will inflict no further pain,
allowing us to deliver a proportional response in any situation.

068
 VASA
a lightweight energised polearm which is also fully capa- to simply absorb the entire force of the impact – a simi-
ble of serving as a gauss weapon at distance, allowing a lar concept to the use of globular surfaces favoured by
broad range of choices in any close-range engagement. Viridian tank designers. Note that the concept of sloped
On the KV-18, your ION cannon launches rocket-assisted armour can be applied just as effectively on a lateral
rounds to ensure maximum velocity of impact, with each plane. By angling your approach so that your opponent
barrel independently triggered to allow you to destroy one is faced by one of the corners of your tank (placing them
target and swiftly engage a second. It features an inno- at angles of 45, 135, 225 or 315 degrees relative to you),
vative multi-chambered ammo hopper system, allowing you can maximise the chance that a projectile will glance
your autoloader to chamber the appropriate round at the off your armour without causing damage. Be aware that
click of a button. Standard loadouts include conventional energy weapons, such as the fluid bolt plasma cannons
anti-tank HEAT rounds, anti-personnel ‘Beehive’ flechette fielded by many Syntha vehicles, do not obey these bal-
rounds of a similar type to those used by our Alkonost listic principles!
self-propelled mortars, and smoke rounds allowing you
to mark targets for artillery in the event of comm failure
– some companies will issue smoke rounds of differing
colours, each one coded to a different tank in the com-
pany. Your smaller autoloading cannons will generally be
equipped with high-explosive rounds: they are intended to
deter close-range assault and repel lighter vehicles which
do not merit the attention of your main cannon, and, in the
case of your rear-mounted 85mm, to engage targets with-
out having to traverse your main cannon to do so.
On the defensive, your KV-18 is equipped with sloped
armour, designed to cause a majority of enemy rounds
to glance off harmlessly rather than forcing your armour

069
Forces
Although the Protectorate has seen fit to provide you
with some of the best equipment in Panhumanic space,
no amount of technology will compensate for the human
element. This is reflected in the first-class training which
VASA provides, but also the way our KV-18s are deployed.
There is a good chance that your tank will be an organic
support element to a Suppressor infantry platoon. This is
because history has proven that both tanks and infantry
work more effectively when used in close support of one
another: by deploying KV-18s as an organic part of infan-
try platoons, VASA allows them to function better as a
team by fostering a close working relationship. As a coin-
cidental benefit, the KV-18’s quad-outrigger track configu-
ration, designed to make it better able to negotiate rough
terrain, also makes it easier for friendly infantry to board
your vehicle in an emergency.
Although such improvisations can be undeniably effec-
tive, sometimes there’s just no substitute for a proper
APC. This is where the tried and tested BMD-9 Bear
comes in. A staple of VASA’s motorised brigades since
its introduction in 2770, the BMD-9 was designed to be
able to swiftly deliver Suppressor platoons to troublespots
in safety, and are commonly used as patrol vehicles on
contested worlds. Their large all-terrain tyres offer unpar-
alleled stability over rough terrain such as urban rubble,
070
and have even proven themselves capable of scaling the
barricades which infantry sometimes erect in urban war-
fare, as they did during the Solstice uprising in 2797.
As mentioned, Integrated Offensive is more than just a
weapon, it’s a philosophy. You benefit from a mutually ben-
eficial relationship with your artillery echelons, and good
communication with these units may save your life. The
mainstay of VASA’s artillery is the Triglav sonic cannon,
which, like your dispersal pods, is useful for crowd control,
but which can also be calibrated to rupture organs and
shake structures apart. Also of note is our newer cousin,
the KV-90 Red Hammer, equipped with long-range frag-
menting micro-missiles. It would be a mistake, however,
to think of it as merely an artillery piece: in an emergency,
it is quite durable enough to take its place in the line of bat-
tle (it is built on the KV-18 chassis, after all!) and in such
a role will significantly outrange most main battle tanks.
 VASA
VASA Manufacture and Supply
The Protectorate’s assets are too widely flung for central-
ised production and manufacture to be practical. Instead,
VASA prefers to allow licensed production of our stand-
ardised designs, and will ship out moulds of parts for this
purpose. Often, we will employ Gateworld corporations
for this purpose: though only a minority of Gateworlds are
actively owned by VASA, our mandate as guardians of the
grav-wells means that their prosperity and ours are inti-
mately interlinked: our equipment will quickly get to where
it is needed, and their assets will be better protected as
a result.
Where necessary, VASA may make use of Homeworld
comporations for our manufacturing, either because
they’re the most convenient option at hand, or because
local industry is still in the process of developing, as is the
case in some frontier sectors. Frequently, these corpora-
tions will be Viridian in origin. This is partly because Viridia
is the Homeworld power with whom we have the closest
working relationship, but also because of public percep-
tion: to be seen to be associated with a prominent peace-
keeping operation, one thought highly of by the public, will
increase a corporation’s sway on the Viridian Assembly.

071
VASA KV-18 Ikon
First Produced: 2786
Weight: 139 tonnes
Length: 14.7m
Width: 9.6m
Height: 5.77m
Crew: 11 (Commander,
Comms Operator, Driver,
7 x Gunners, Loader)
Top Speed: 39 km/h
Engine: GSX-2 hybrid drive
engine
Main weapon: 2 x Invictor
Arms M-10I 152mm Integrated
Offensive (ION) cannon
Secondary weapons: TsAKB-
53 85mm autoloading cannon
(rear)
TsAKB-5 76mm autoloading
cannon (front)
4 x Procyon MX-18 ‘Tamada’
ADS microwave dispersal
pods

072
 VASA BMD-9 Bear

First Produced: 2770

Weight: 98 tonnes
Length: 13.3m
Width: 8.99m
Height: 5.8m
Crew: 5 (Commander, Driver,
3 x Gunners)
Top Speed: 46 km/h
Engine: 2 x Koschei-16 hybrid
drive engine
Main weapon: KPVT 14.5mm
‘Dvornik’ heavy chaingun
Secondary weapons: 2 x
Procyon MX-18 ‘Tamada’ ADS
microwave dispersal pods

073
Viridians
Viridians are from the planet where humans
evolved in the Viridia Solaris system, and as
such are the oldest faction in Pan-Humanic
Space. Viridians are the great free marketeers
of the Tripartite Alliance. They believe in the
power of trade as an engine of progress and
chafe under regulations and taxes levied by
VASA. The Viridian Assembly champions free-
dom on the whole, though like others, they have
historically shown reluctance when it comes to
granting independence to colonies under their
direct control.

074
075
Viridians
Viridian Able Company Command
“Captain, I’ve got an incoming transmission from General Latimer
on the sub-ether relay,” said Comms Officer Pullman. “Patching him
through now.”
Doyle rezzed up an image of the General’s head and shoulders on
the Direwolf APC’s holographic dashboard. The ghostly blue glow
from the projection underlit Doyle’s face, making the young woman
appear cadaverous and sinister. She saluted the hologram, which
stuttered and momentarily broke up as a nearby artillery strike
rocked the vehicle.
“Doyle, HQ requires a swift and aggressive conclusion to this action.
The folks back home need something decisive, that shows us stick-
ing it to those bastards, so make sure the optics are streaming for
this one. I know you won’t let me down, Latimer out.”
“Copy that, Sir. I got just the thing, over and out.”
Pullman looked expectantly at her, waiting for Doyle’s orders. Able
Infantry Company was bogged down at this dead-end desert town
for three days now, fighting a battle of attrition against Junkers
backed by artillery located behind the sandy ridge. Time to send the
Senate a message.
“Specialist Pullman, Attack Pattern Alpha-Niner to Jacks, McKeever,
and Sanderson. Go!”
While Pullman relayed the order to the three sergeants, Doyle swiped
and grabbed elements of the dashboard display, to send a live feed
of the action to the General. She settled back to watch the mayhem.
076
Out on the battlefield Doyle’s order percolated down through the
command strata. Alpha Teams renewed their suppression of
enemy lines within the rubble and confusion of the town, keeping
the Junkers’ infantry busy. A team of snipers received their mission
from Sergeant Jacks and silently abandoned their overwatch posi-
tions on the left flank. They used the broken, rocky terrain as cover
on their ascent of the ridge. Meanwhile on the right, McKeever’s
support tank, a battle scarred Broadsword armed with a colossal
Redactor Cannon, peeled off and crawled up the ridge on the other
side. Last but not least, Sergeant Sanderson ordered the reserve
unit of Inderdict Marines forward, to a position just behind the Alpha
Teams holding the line.
Doyle’s eyes raced over the images being fed to her dashboard
console from the snipers and the tank. There, behind the ridge on
the dusty valley floor, was the troublemaker. A Draco mobile rocket
platform, equipped with racks of long-range Inferno rockets for
pounding the Viridian defences. It had a guard of Legionaries, but
they wouldn’t be too much trouble. She waited for the next volley of
rockets to streak up from the Draco, sending the Alpha Teams back
in town scrambling for cover and shaking the ground beneath her
Direwolf.
Now it was a sitting duck.
“This is Able Leader Actual,” she said into her headset. “Light ‘em up.”
On the left, an anti-materiel round zipped down from the sniper
position, leaving a contrail. The burrowing round drilled through the
tough plating on the Draco’s crew compartment, and detonated in
the cabin with a satisfying blue flash. On the right the Broadsword’s Colonies
Redactor Cannon emitted an ear splitting whine as it span into life,
then round after ferromagnetic round, thousands of them, raked it. As mankind spread through the galaxy, Viridia became the
The broken vehicle sagged on its suspension before ultimately col- breadbasket of Pan-Humanic space. Worlds with natural
lapsing and catching fire. As this occurred the Interdict Marines acti- climates that produced sufficient food to support colonies
vated their jump packs. The bulky, power armoured troops instantly were few and far between, so Viridia fed the galaxy with
shrank to dots against the clear, pink sky, then disappeared over its advanced, high yield agricultural techniques. Viridia’s
the ridge in one view. In the next, they slammed down to earth in great wealth lies in agriculture to this day, and because
the midst of the Legionaries and went to work, mowing down the it is the most efficient producer, Viridia gets the pick of
worlds suitable for food production. Jungle worlds to pro-
stunned Junkers with Gauss Carbines.
duce biomass for fuel, fertiliser and animal feed; ocean
worlds with vast fisheries; temperate worlds with expan-
History sive arable plains. Such worlds always orbit spectral class
In distant antiquity the Viridians ruled an advanced indus- G stars, so Viridians have developed city building tech-
trial society on the lush, fertile world of Viridia, but their niques based on harnessing solar power from these stars.
polluting activities caused catastrophic global warming
that resulted in the planet flooding. Eventually the climate
stabilised and a new civilisation was built using sustain-
able and non-climate-altering technologies. It did not take
the Viridians long to rebuild what had been lost, and soon
they were exploring space with a view to colonisation,
driven in part by the close call with extinction they had
experienced on their homeworld. Viridia ceased to be the
sole power in space following the Secession Wars and the
subsequent rush to colonise the galaxy by those seeking
independence.

077
Viridians
Terrain
Here is a selection of terrain areas and objects that are suitable for battles played on this faction’s home colonies:
Name Description Category Characteristics
Road Broad transport routes cut through the undergrowth and trees to connect biofuel Object Road
and food harvesting sites to the solar cities
Swamp Broad, shallow expanses of surface water, often overgrown with weeds and Object Flat, Difficult Going, Fordable
algae. They are useful defensive features that can slow an enemy’s advance
Irrigation Irrigation trenches channel water to where its needed on Viridian settlements, Object Flat, Difficult Going, Fordable
Trench and make the going difficult for ground units
Cenote Cenotes are steep sided sinkholes that often link up with complex, subterranean Object Flat, Impassable
watercourses
Fields Basically anywhere on the battlefield not covered by a specific feature counts as Area Flat
this type of terrain. It is the faction’s default terrain type and has no special rules
Jungle Dense, tropical rainforest is typical on Viridian colonies, where the rich biomass Area Difficult Going, Defensible,
is harvested for fuel Shelter, Concealment
Hills Hilly areas surrounded by jungles and swamps make ideal sites for Viridian Area Elevated
agriculture. They’re also good for spotting approaching enemies
Agricultural Agricultural terraces are carved out in valleys and the sides of hills to form el- Area Impassable*, Elevated
Terraces evated escarpments that are pretty much impassable to the front
Bio Dome Biodomes house the settlers on Viridian colonies and agricultural outposts. They Area Difficult Going, Concealment,
are prefab structures covered in solar cells and often have VDF garrisons in Shelter, Defensible
contested regions
Jungle Consists of a landing pad, gunnery and sniper platforms, Comms arrays and Area Difficult Going, Concealment,
Outpost barracks. They are usually guarded by Alpha and Bravo Platoons Shelter, Defensible

*Only impassable from the front, bases can get up the sides and back of the feature.
078
 Technology
Viridia led the way in developing environmentally sustainable
technologies, following the disaster of the great flood. This suite
of technologies included genetically engineered plant and ani-
mal species for food, fuel, and in some cases mounts, the devel-
opment of the hydrogen T-cell for power, and the advanced engi-
neering techniques of the solar cities. They also developed the
gauss magnetic field technologies used in a variety of weapons
and civilian transport systems.

Warfare
The Viridians have a respectable sized army and fleet, and their
forces excel at long range warfare and combined arms tactics.
Of all the factions, the Viridians have been most enthusiastic in
adopting the doctrine of combined arms, borne of a desire to
limit casualties among their own troops. They do this by engag-
ing with light ground forces that are prepared to retreat at any Captain - 3 Points
moment, slowing the enemy down while close support flyers and Viridian captains are renowned throughout Pan-Humanic Space
long range weapons dismantles it from a distance. for their battlefield heroics. It’s all about leading from the front,
and the Viridian Assembly favours individuals who make a good
Platoons impression with the folks back home. Companies are led by cap-
The following section is a list of all of the platoon types and their tains deployed in Direwolf armoured transports.
captains.

079
Viridians

Alpha Platoon - 5 Points

Alpha Platoons are made up of men and women from the Colonial Marine Corps. There are two Alpha Teams to a platoon, a
Sniper Team, and the lieutenant who rides up front aboard a Direwolf transport. The Marines are armed with gauss rifles and
have heavy gauss rifle operators for support. The Sniper Teams tend to work at a distance from the rest of the platoon, finding
covered overwatch positions to support at long range.

080
 Bravo Platoon - 5 Points
Bravo Platoons are the heavy support infantry of the Colonial Marine Corps. There are two Bravo Teams to a platoon, a Sniper
Team, and the lieutenant’s in a Bigfoot transport. Just like the Alpha Team they are armed with gauss rifles, but support comes
instead in the form of bazookas, which are potent against enemy vehicles. The Sniper Teams again provide the long range
cover.

081
Viridians

VDF - 4 Points
VDF stands for Viridian Defence Force. These are the men and women tasked with garrisoning Viridian interests and colonies.
Each VDF platoon is made up of two Alpha Teams and Two Bravo Teams, armed and equipped in exactly the same manner as
their Colonial Marine Counterparts. The lieutenant always fights with the first Alpha Team in the platoon.

082
 Interdict Marines - 8 Points
Interdict Marines are Viridia’s elite stormtroopers. A platoon of them consists of four teams, the first of which contains the lieuten-
ant. Interdict Marines are equipped with gauss carbines, configured to be deadly at close quarters, and they are highly trained in
hand-to-hand combat. They wear powered armour that is jump capable and in battle they are deployed as a fast strike element.

083
Viridians

Tank Squadron - 12 Points

A Viridian Tank Squadron is comprised of three Broadsword Tanks, one of which is the lieutenant, and a Blade Tank in support.
The Broadsword is Viridia’s main battle tank. It is a tracked, heavy tank that can engage all targets at up to mid-range with its
main weapon, the redactor cannon. The redactor cannon is a massive, rotary barrelled gauss weapon. The Blade is Viridia’s
tank killer. It has the same chassis as the Broadsword, but the turret houses a large, highly advanced gauss weapon called an
Excalibur Gun, which fires a dart of ferromagnetic material that becomes molten within nanoseconds of leaving the barrel. Both
tanks bristle with independently targeting HMG points all around their hulls to protect them from infantry assaults.

084
 Transport Squadron - 8 Points
Viridian Transport Squadrons consist of three Direwolves, one of which is the platoon leader, with a Bigfoot in support. The
Direwolf armoured personnel carrier is the standard troop transport for Viridian fire teams. It is capable of transporting up to four
of them at a time. Its primary weapons are HMGs, effective to mid-range and devastating to enemy personnel. The Bigfoot is
built on the same chassis as the Direwolf, but its combat role is more general. The Bigfoot’s turret weapon is a gauss cannon
that is effective at mid-range and can successfully engage all types of target.

085
Viridians

Coyote Battery - 11 Points

The Coyote Battery is the first of two artillery batteries commonly deployed by Viridian Assembly forces. It consists of three
Spartan mobile guns and a Direwolf platoon leader. The Spartan is Viridia’s standard mobile artillery piece. It consists of an
armoured, tracked vehicle with a forward mounted rack of Sledgehammer missiles. The weapon is effective at breaking up
enemy formations at long range, and is particularly deadly to vehicles.

086
 Buffalo Battery - 11 Points
The Buffalo Battery is the second of Viridia’s core artillery batteries. It consists of three Buffalo mobile gun platforms and a
Direwolf platoon leader. The Buffalo is the Viridians’ specialist artillery piece. It consists of an armoured, tracked vehicle with
three independently targeting howitzers mounted on it.

087
Junkers
Junkers have shown unprecedented expansion
during this era, and their vast legions threaten
the stability of the whole galaxy. The cur-
rent situation, with the whole of Pan-Humanic
Space teetering on the brink of total war, suits
the Ironglass Senate well enough. They use
the chaos to fuel even further expansion, swell-
ing their legions and extending their imperial
power base. Junkers, ever the underdog in the
Tripartite Alliance, see the Age of Tyrants as an
opportunity to seize control from the richer pow-
ers and perhaps even conquer the galaxy in the
name of the Senate.

088
089
Junkers
Junker XI th Company Command
“I want their Captain’s head mounted on my Falx for this!” roared
Gaius Magnus. “That Draco was on loan from Twenty Sixth
Company.”
Gaius’s upper body protruded from a hatch, like a tiny pimple on
the massive back of his Octoris Falx transport. He was a veteran
of many engagements such as this, and bore a long scar that
traced the line of his jaw. On his head he wore the Galea, a
helmet with a crest denoting his rank as Tribune. From his van-
tage point on the outskirts of the desert town of Vandercost, he
watched a thick, oily column of black smoke billow over the ridge
to his rear. That marked his precious artillery support, destroyed
by a bold manoeuvre on the part of the Viridian captain whose
head Gaius was now so keen to procure. She probably thought
she had him on the run after pulling a trick like that, but though
he had lost a vital piece, the canny old warhorse still had a trick
or two to play. Magnus swallowed his anger and channelled it
into decisive action. The Viridian sow may have delivered a hard
blow, but he wasn’t knocked out yet. She’d made a mistake,
overstretched herself and committed her best support units.
“Principes! Exo-Suit Alleci! We’re taking care of this ourselves.
Mount up!” he shouted down to his rearguard, clustered around
the towering tracks of the Falx.
The Principes filed up the ramp first, hard-bitten convicts drilled
and beaten into a compliant and orderly fighting force. Armed
090
with battle shields, blades and combat shotguns, they were good
in close range engagements. The Allecti stomped up the ramp
behind them, their heavy steel tread and the hissing and clank-
ing of their exo-suits servos provided the marching music for
the order. Before the doors even closed properly, Gaius yelled:
“Forward!” and the Falx lurched into motion.
The hulking troop transport bounced over rubble on its noisy
treads as it crossed into the town proper. Gaius remained out
of the hatch, pointing the way with his sword. A dramatic and
entirely unnecessary gesture as his driver couldn’t see him up
there, but the orders he barked into his helmet comms were cer-
tainly audible enough.
“On! On you dogs! Straight through! Breach it! Breach it!”
And breach it they did. The Falx plunged through the Viridians’
makeshift defensive line, scattering the rubble and sandbags
that stretched across Vandercost’s main thoroughfare. Viridian
Alpha Teams scrambled out of the way as the vehicle slewed
to a halt on their side of the barricades. The rear doors swung
open and before the ramp even dropped, exo-suits plummeted
to the pavement, shattering the tarmac as they slammed into the
ground. The exo-suits rose from their crouch and unleashed hell
from their grape guns, rotary barrelled gauss cuffs that sprayed
ball-bearings. Legionary Principes charged, flowing around the
monolithic forms of the exo-suits. They eagerly crashed into
the fray, blasting and hacking at the outnumbered Alpha Team
marines. Already suppressed from the artillery bombardments,
the Viridian front line didn’t stand a change against the savagery Colonies
of the Junker assault. Gauss cannons on the Falx mopped up
the stragglers and it was done. Junkers favour marginal worlds with arid or desert cli-
mates on which their topsoil and sand processing tech-
History nologies can eke every gram of resources from the world.
They pride themselves on making a living where others
The Junkers’ homeworld is Ironglass, in the Viridia Solaris
cannot; subsisting on what most would consider leavings.
star system. Ironglass is a large desert world, where, due
Their settlements are often beneath ground, based on the
to a quirk in its orbit, one side is constantly baked by the
Ironglass model, and are dirty, dangerous and polluted
local star Solaris, and the other exposed to the dark chill
places worked by slave labour.
of space. In a thin band around the terminator, called the
Meridian, human habitation is possible, so Viridia estab-
lished a penal colony there to process ferrous deposits
from the desert. Ironglass challenged Viridia for independ-
ence in the Second War of Secession, eventually winning
it in 2580. The new rulers of Ironglass were used to a
society in which life was cheap and power best wielded
through force, and ever since the Junkers have been bru-
tal, despotic and imperialistic.

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Junkers
Terrain
Here is a selection of terrain areas and objects that are suitable for battles played on this faction’s home colonies:
Name Description Category Characteristics
Road Dusty highways connecting the frontier towns and Harvester depots to the deep deserts Object Flat, Road
Naphtha Pool These are shallow, oily pools of liquid hydrocarbon that have bubbled to the Object Flat, Difficult Going,
surface in response to Junker activity Fordable
Ravine The combination of tunnelling and stripping away surface materials with harvest- Object Flat, Impassable
ers can cause deep cracks in the earth to appear around Junker settlements
Large Boulder A great, wind sculpted hunk of rock Object Impassable
Desert Basically anywhere on the battlefield not covered by a specific feature counts as Area Flat
this type of terrain. It is the faction’s default terrain type and has no special rules
Stone Forest Also known on some planets as chaos terrain, this is a crazy jumble of shallow Area Difficult Going, Shelter,
canyons and wind-sculpted rocks that provides excellent defensible terrain for Defensible, Concealment
infantry
Dunes Dunes are low hills formed from drifting sand. They provide good high ground for Area Elevated
ranged units and artillery seeking a commanding view of the battlefield
Strip Mine Strip Mines occur where the Junkers cut into rocky mesas and plateaus to break Area Impassable*, Elevated
up the stone for minerals. They offer an impassable barrier to the front combined
with a high ground advantage
Frontier Junker frontier outposts are generally fairly squalid shanties. There is often more Area Difficult Going, Shelter,
Outpost going on below the surface than above as the workers construct subsurface tun- Concealment, Defensible
nels and bunkers to escape the heat
Ore Plant Ore plants are where the Harvesters come and go from, and where the minerals Area Difficult Going, Shelter,
they bring back are refined Concealment, Defensible

*Only impassable from the front, bases can get up the sides and back of the feature.
092
 Technology Platoons
Junkers, as their very name suggests, don’t have much in the The following section is a list of all of the platoon types and
way of their own technological developments. Their engineering their captains, and their points costs.
knowhow lies in taking wreckage and detritus from the other pow-
ers and transforming it into something functional. Sometimes the
tech they appropriate is genuine scrap, sometimes it is battlefield
plunder or outright pirate loot. This paradigm goes right back to
the Second War of Secession, when the original Junker rebels
adapted mining equipment and vehicles, repurposing them as
weapons to use against their Viridian enemies.

Warfare
In battle the Junkers are a numerically superior force that
excels in medium to close range combat. The strategy of
Junker commanders relies on suppressing superior ranged
combat enemies with artillery, allowing their legions get to
close quarters. Advancing into enemy fire can be hugely Tribune - 3 Points
costly in lives, but one thing the Junkers have no shortage of
is manpower. Consequently, discipline and morale are poor, The Tribunes of Ironglass and its auxiliary colonies are a
but the leaders have ways of ensuring obedience. Support is rough bunch, and they command with an iron fist. Discipline
in the form of crude but effective armour, artillery and troop is harsh in the legions, and punishments range from flog-
transports. gings and beatings to the dreaded neural spike executions.
Legionary Tribunes lead their companies from Octoris Falx
transports.

093
Junkers

Legionary Maniple I - 4 Points

The Junkers’ standard infantry platoon is the Legionary Maniple I. In general they excel at short range combat, and their
favoured tactic is direct assault. The standard legionary fireteam are Principes, armed with combat shotguns, shields and
blades, and supported by flamethrowers. The platoon’s lieutenant is a Centurion, who accompanies another Principes team.
The final team are Armigers - heavy weapon teams who man tripod-mounted chain guns.

094
 Legionary Maniple II - 4 Points
The Legionary Maniple II is the secondary infantry platoon of the Junkers, and like Maniple I they excel at close assault with
a focus on anti-materiel damage. Like other platoons that feature them, Principes are always armed with combat shotguns,
shields and blades, and supported by flamethrowers. The final team in the platoon are Triarii, and instead of chain gun support,
they wield thermite lances for assaulting enemy armour.

095
Junkers

Legionary Maniple III - 6 Points

The Legionary Maniple III is the Junkers’ combined unit, and mixes assault infantry with artillery organic to the platoon. Again
the Principes infantry teams consist of men and women who excel at short range combat, and favour assault tactics. As usual,
standard kit for the Principes is combat shotguns, shields and blades, with close support provided by flamethrowers. The pla-
toon’s lieutenant is a Centurion, who accompanies another Principes team. In the Maniple III the final team is not infantry at all,
but instead a Draco mobile artillery platform armed with incendiary hellfire rockets to soften up enemy positions ahead of the
infantry assaults.

096
 Exo-Suit Allecti - 8 Points
The Allecti are the elite, Exo-Suit infantry of the Legion. Exo-Suits are formidable pieces of battlefield powered armour, reserved
for convicts that served their sentences, distinguished themselves in battle, and remained in the legion as free men. Each Allecti
team consists of exo-suited individuals, one of which is led by a Centurion. The suits feature medium range grape guns that are
devastating to personnel, and close combat anti-materiel gloves called Cesti. They are supported by units in which the grape
guns are replaced with flamethrowers.

097
Junkers

Loricatia Squadron - 12 Points

The core armoured squadron of the Junkers is the Loricatia Squadron. It consists of four main battle tanks. Three of these,
including the Optio (or lieutenant) are Venators. The Venator’s turret gun is an extremely powerful rotary gauss gun, based
on Viridian designs, called a Scorpion and it is effective against all targets. The support tank is an Exarch, a good mid-range
armoured assault element, equipped with a turret-mounted incinerator cannon that fires a high-explosive incendiary round. The
vehicles are protected from close assaults by flamethrower ports.

098
 Carpentia Squadron - 8 Points
Transport for personnel in the legions comes in the form of the Carpentia. The Octoris Falx is the standard troop-carrying vehi-
cle and there are three of these in the squadron, including the Optio. The Falx (falx means battle-scythe) is a tracked vehicle
that can act as a mobile firebase and transport for up to four infantry fire teams. For defence it has a turret-mounted rotary
gauss weapon, effective against all targets up to medium range. The support transport built on the same chassis is the Octoris
Incendia, with a turret-mounted heavy flamethrower.

099
Junkers

Ballisteria Squadron I - 11 Points

The Ballisteria Squadron I is the first of two artillery batteries commonly deployed by Junkers armies to support infantry advances.
This Squadron is made up of three Dracos, lead by an Optio in a Falx transport. The Draco is a heavy, tracked vehicle with an
inferno rocket system mounted in a fixed forward position. The inferno rockets are used at long range to soften up the enemy
with a bombardment of incendiary death.

100
 Ballisteria Squadron II - 11 Points
The second of the Junkers’ core artillery batteries, the Ballisteria Squadron II, is made of Onager mobile gun platforms led by
an Optio in a Falx. The Onager is a self-propelled howitzer that lobs a massive 900 kg shell, effective against all targets. The
weapon is mounted in a fixed position on a light armoured vehicle.

101
Syntha
The Syntha are secretive and isolationist and
they put a high premium on the “information
war”, devoting a great deal of resources to espi-
onage and counter-espionage activities. Since
becoming an independent power, the Syntha
have always been slightly aloof and reserved,
which is more to do with their emotional cool-
ness and a high incidence of introversion in their
population than anything sinister or political.
However, since the incident on the Hephaestus
Complex, the Collective’s cultural distance has
transformed into full-on espionage, scheming,
and covert aggression against the other powers.

102
103
Syntha
Syntha Armoured Core Scylla Command
Inside Scylla, the walls of the coring chambers and access
conduits had ears in a very real sense. And eyes, and phase
signature detectors, broad spectrum sensors and a host of
other surveillance and monitoring equipment. As a clandestine
Syntha mining operation, on an asteroid orbiting a black hole in
the Nemed Sector, the military presence was necessarily low
key. The reason for all secrecy was that the asteroid was shot
through with veins of Neutronium, formed by it’s proximity to
the black hole. This was a substance associated with theoreti-
cal WMDs and its refining and use was banned under numer-
ous galactic treaties. VASA’s agents had somehow got wind of
the operation, and now tank squads supported by Suppressors
moved through the wide access tunnels. Explosions and car-
bine fire echoed around the honeycomb of struts and conduits
as they disabled comms and sensors by brute force, en route to
the cavernous system of vaults at the centre of the rock.
NAA-49813-i, the Alpha in charge of defence at the facility,
was an advanced SPOMM locked into a Persephone transport
chassis. It monitored the progress of the VASA Protectorate’s
incursion, logging available personnel, ordinance, method of
approach and general threat level. It cross referenced them with
the status of available Syntha forces in the area of operation and
environmental variables such as where the covered approaches
lay, where the elevated positions and the best interlocking fields
104
of fire were situated. The Alpha’s quantum computing capable
SPOMM brain ran several thousand tactical scenarios based
on its analysis. The scenario with the best outcome moved to
the top of the list and the Alpha synched to the Beta SPOMMs
slaved to its command, disseminating its battle plan. The Betas
in turn interpreted their own roles in the imminent conflict and ran
through the best options for completing the objectives the Alpha
had tasked them with. Then they in turn passed their commands
down to the base of the network, which was occupied by cells of
standard military grade SPOMMs.
The service tunnels at the far end of the cargo chamber buckled
inwards and the rocks around the frame cracked to rain down fine
dust and grit. Three Nemesis Tanks glided between stacks of mag-
locked crates of raw Neutronium ore to intercept the invaders. At
the next impact, the frame gave way and the bulkheads clattered
to the floor. In the wake of this destruction the bulk of a KV-18 Ikon
pushed into the bay, its heavy treads crunching over the rubble and
grinding it to gravel.
At the Alpha’s signal, the Nemesis tanks opened up on the
VASA tank with their Starfire Cannons. Boiling lances of plasma
scorched the Ikon’s surface. It returned fire with its Ion Cannon,
but to no avail. The Syntha tanks concentrated their fire on the
Ikon’s turret, causing a catastrophic failure of the main weapon’s
beam generator. The force of the resulting blast detached the tur-
ret from the Ikon’s hull, lifting it several metres into the air, before
it flipped over and landed next to the tank with a resounding
clang. Fire and smoke licked up from the tank’s cabin, beneath Colonies
where the turret had sat. Impassive sensors around the cargo
chamber picked up the screams, the hiss and pop of cooked Pure research, rather than economic or social improve-
flesh, and the bright flare of organics subjected to the wick effect, ment, drives Syntha colonisation. The worlds they live on
and relayed them to the Alpha. It deemed this result a success are valuable from a scientific point of view, but are often
within expected parameters. inimical to life. They have perfected techniques based on
Prime’s colonisation, for burrowing into planets and other
History objects. Once in, robotic miners build extensive subterra-
Prime is the homeworld of the Syntha, a strange object nean networks of tunnels and chambers, preparing them
caught in an elliptical orbit around the Viridia Solaris/ for habitation. Where these “termite cities” break the sur-
Leviathan binary star system. Prime is a barren, fro- face, there are towers containing mag-lev service eleva-
zen, teardrop shaped planetoid with no atmosphere. It tors, comms arrays and vents to release non-recyclable
is the only known source in the universe of the mineral waste materials.
prime obsidian. In the early years of colonisation it was a
research station, devoted to harnessing the power of this
new wonder material. In 2494, the colony there, the most
distant at the time, declared independence from Viridia,
and in doing so started the First War of Secession. Four
years later the colony won its charter, and the Syntha
began their great quest to perfect humanity through inte-
gration with machines.

105
Syntha
Terrain
Here is a selection of terrain areas and objects that are suitable for battles played on this faction’s home colonies:
Name Description Category Characteristics
Road Metalled surfaces to allow transport units to quickly move personnel and materiel Object Flat, Road
around subterranean complexes
Shallow Pool Pools of water from hydraulic mining collect in the lower levels of Syntha colo- Object Flat, Difficult Going,
nies Fordable
Hazardous The industrial activity that takes place around Termite Cities often creates run- Object Flat, Impassable
Flow offs of toxic liquids, ammonia rivers, and sluggish streams of radioactive waste
Crystalline Large, free standing growths of crystal often form inside voids in asteroids and Object Impassable, Shelter
Outcrop planetoids
Cavern Floor Basically anywhere on the battlefield not covered by a specific feature counts as Area Flat
this type of terrain. It is the faction’s default terrain type and has no special rules
Fungus To supplement the off-world supplies brought in to feed Syntha colonists, they Area Difficult Going, Shelter,
Orchards farm high yield GMO crops of giant fungus Defensible, Concealment
Spoil Heap Hills composed of debris from tunnelling are commonplace around Termite Area Elevated
Cities. They provide good high ground for ranged units and artillery seeking a
commanding view of the battlefield
Rock Shelf Rock shelves are elevated sections on the cavern floor. They offer an impass- Area Impassable*, Elevated
able barrier to the front combined with a high ground advantage
Research Large pillars of rock encrusted with habitation pods and security stations, that Area Difficult Going, Shelter,
Outpost are reminiscent of metal and plastic bracket fungi Defensible, Concealment
Autofactory A complex of buildings outside the termite city, where drones, probes and other Area Difficult Going, Shelter,
SPOMM units are fabricated for jobs around the colony Defensible, Concealment

*Only impassable from the front, bases can get up the sides and back of the feature.
106
 Technology Platoons
Syntha are the most technologically advanced. Their stranglehold The following section is a list of all of the platoon types
on the production of prime obsidian, coupled with their agenda of and their captains.
technological collectivism, have assured that. Prime obsidian is the
miracle material the Syntha use to make artificial SPOMM brains
(Synapsed Prime Obsidian Matrix Mind). Indeed, the Collective is
governed by a giant SPOMM brain called Prime, to which all Syntha
colonies are networked by sub-ether relays. Syntha citizens are
grown from cloned cells and born from vat-like artificial wombs as
fully developed adults, complete with cybernetic enhancements,
already fully educated and socialised by in utero VR simulations.
Warfare
Syntha are the least populous of the homeworld factions. In the
Age of Tyrants the Collective has taken to deploying entirely robotic
armies, to preserve its limited stocks of human and biomechanoid
combatants. The SPOMM armies are poor at tactics and com- Captain - 3 Points
bined arms operations, though heuristic software is enabling them
to improve all the time. However, they are far more reliable than The Alphas of the Syntha Collective are advanced battlefield
human soldiers under fire as they suffer no morale effects from SPOMMs. Alphas feature advanced tactical processing mod-
suppression. Plus they can wield heavier weapons making them ules for the purposes of networking multiple units in combined
the most formidable long range infantry in the galaxy. Supporting actions. They are housed in vehicles, namely Persephone trans-
the androsynths and teratosynths are SPOMM artillery, carriers ports, to provide them with a versatile balance of mobility, fire-
and tanks. power and utility.

107
Syntha

Tactical Cell - 4 Points

The Syntha standard infantry platoon is a Tactical Cell. All the Nodes are pretty much identical, featuring androsynths with stand-
ard pulse rifles for mid-range firefights, and support units that carry short range anti-materiel plasma projectors. Their default
mode is to hang back at the limit of the pulse rifles’ range and engage targets from there. In one of the Nodes an androsynth
contains a Beta SPOMM brain that synchs commands to other members of the platoon.

108
 Point Cell - 4 Points
Supporting the Tactical Cells are Point Cells that are more effective in close quarters against infantry. As usual, all four Nodes
contain Androsynths, which are equipped with standard pulse rifles for mid-range firefights. The support weapons for these
nodes are grape guns; more powerful general-purpose small arms, with a more limited range than pulse rifles. The default mode
is to engage the enemy in firefights rather than close assaults. One of the Nodes contains an androsynth with a Beta SPOMM
brain to synch commands to other members of the platoon.

109
Syntha

T-Synth Cell - 8 Points

T-Synth Cells consist of four Nodes of Tactical Teratosynths, which are larger, more powerful variants of the androsynths. Each
Node has Teratosynths armed with heavy pulse rifles for mid-long range firefights and mini-MLRS launchers for indirect fire
support. As with most Syntha the default mode is to engage the enemy in firefights rather than close assaults. One of the Nodes
contains a Beta SPOMM brain to synch commands to other members of the platoon.

110
 M-Synth Cell - 8 Points
Where the other armies usually have four core infantry platoons, the last of which is a mixed platoon, the Syntha have M-Synths
in place of the mixed platoon. The Cell consists of Macrosynths, one of which contains the Beta SPOMM for co-ordinating the
platoon. Macrosynths are light armoured walkers that carry powerful long range pulse cannons, normally a vehicle mounted
weapon. In close combat they are quite capable of defending themselves with their vicious hydraulic fists.

111
Syntha

Nemesis Cell - 12 Points

Nemesis Cells are the first of the two grav-tank squadrons commonly used by the Syntha. The Nemesis cell has four Nemesis
grav-tanks, one of which houses the squadron’s Beta SPOMM. The Nemesis is the Collective’s main battle tank and is perhaps
the most advanced and certainly one of the deadliest tanks on any battlefield. Its chassis houses a tesla field to protect the
exterior from close assaults, and the turret has a Starfire Cannon; a deadly, long range anti-armour plasma weapon.

112
 Hades Cell - 12 Points
The second armoured squadron of the Syntha is the Hades Cell, consisting of three Hades grav-tanks and their Beta. Also built
on the same chassis design as the Nemesis, the Hades is the Syntha’s long range artillery tank. Its SPOMM is programmed
with a comprehensive selection of fire missions and connected to a turret-mounted MLRS (multi-launch rocket system) that can
bring a pattern of guided missiles down on targets virtually anywhere on the battlefield.

113
Syntha

Artillery Cell - 11 Points

Syntha core artillery Cells consist of two Plasma Cannons, a Drone Carrier, and a Persephone Beta. The Plasma Cannons
consist of armoured grav-vehicles with front firing plasma cannons. The weapons are highly effective at dealing with enemy
armour in mid-range firefights. The Drone Carrier houses a nest of tiny drones. The vehicle’s SPOMM scans the battlefield and
sends the drones out on missions to eliminate enemy targets. They charge-up using the carrier’s fuel cell and deploy as a flying
swarm that has a laser-cutter sting in its tail. All vehicles are protected from close assaults by Tesla Fields.

114
 Mechanised Cell - 8 Points
The Mechanised Cell is the Syntha’s transport platoon, providing secure rapid-deployment for anything up to the M-Synths
(which fold up for storage). It consists of three Persephone Transports, one of which is a Beta, and a Demeter Transport. The
Persephone Transport is another SPOMM controlled grav-lift vehicle that can effectively transport four fire teams and act as
a firebase. It is equipped with a turret containing twin-linked heavy pulse rifles, effective against all targets at mid-range. The
Demeter Transport is the sister vehicle of the Persephone, and while it shares the troop carrying ability of its counterpart, the
Demeter is equipped for much shorter range warfare. In its turret, the Demeter Transport houses a plasma projector unit that is
particularly deadly to armour at close range.

115
VASA
VASA retains its role as the Protectorate, a
body separate from the other Tripartite Powers
of Viridia, Syntha and Junkers. The body is
charged with enforcing the alliance, brokering
settlements in disputes, and policing the grav-
wells upon which all trade and colonisation
efforts depend. To carry out these duties, VASA
has amassed a huge fleet and security force,
financed by charging excise duties on trade
through the grav-wells. VASA is essentially a
massive galactic peacekeeping force, which has
increasingly come into conflict with its member
factions as the Age of Tyrants erodes old alli-
ances and treaties.

116
117
VASA
VASA Suppressor Winter Company Command
Captain Katerina Urosova, perched atop her BMD-9 Bear, was
unphased by the loss of the point tank. She knew the Syntha
would have a heavy reception planned for them. The Ikon was
a necessary sacrifice to carry out the breaching manoeuvre and
draw the first volley from whatever the Synths had on the other
side of that bulkhead. For the briefest of moments Urosova
dropped her eyelids in silent thanks and remembrance for the
crew she sent to their certain deaths. She lifted her head and
squinted down the smoke filled tunnel. Through the ragged
ruin of the bulkheads, three Nemesis grav tanks hovered just
beyond the burning wreckage of the point tank.
“My turn,” Urosova whispered, clasping her hand over the
mike at her jaw so she didn’t broadcast that to the troops. She
released the mike and issued her order.
“Counter Insurgency Teams Winter Red Three and Four.
Desant Protocol. Move now!”
In response to the order two SAMS fire teams, trailing in the
wake of the tanks, rushed forward and clambered up on to the
hull of the second Ikon in the squadron. The Desant Protocol
was rarely used these days and Urosova banked on this being
a gap in the Syntha’s tactical knowledge. The robots had a play-
book, and they were very good at picking the best play from the
available options, but they had trouble coping when an oppo-
nent threw away the rules.
118
Urosova’s driver gunned the engine and she dropped down into
the cabin, slamming the hatch over her head. The Command
APC crunched over debris from the wrecked bulkheads and
burst into the Syntha held command bay behind the Ikon, chain
guns blazing. Two of the Syntha tanks swivelled their turrets
to meet the threat, but the Ikon was on them in a rush. After
their interception of the VASA point tank, they were vulnerable,
exposed. The VASA tank pour pointed blank fire on the Syntha
tank at the centre of the formation, while the SAMS teams
desanded. One of them took the tank on the left flank and the
other team raced under the ion bolts to attack the Nemesis at
the centre.
The Suppressors in the SAMS teams carried limpet mines
for precisely the purpose of assaulting armour, and as they
swarmed up to the Syntha tanks, they primed the weapons with
a twist of a handle on the top. In response to their proximity
the Syntha tanks discharged their Tesla Fields, electrocuting
the first few Suppressors to close on them. It wasn’t enough
though, as the remaining VASA troops hurdled over their fallen
comrades and slammed the magnetic mines onto the Nemesis’
hulls.
The suppressors threw themselves aside as the mines sank
into the armoured skin of the SPOMM vehicles. In less than two
seconds they melted into the tanks’ inner workings on glowing
pads of ions, whereupon they detonated with a bright blue flash.
The limpet mines produced a powerful localised electromag-
netic pulse that also threw out radiation deadly to organics. Not Colonies
that the latter was of any consequence when fighting Syntha,
but the EMP was certainly enough to scramble their SPOMM VASA’s colonisation technique involves dropping prefab-
brains and kill the delicate electrics inside their hulls. The two ricated facilities, called pods, from orbit, onto the surface
Nemesis tanks shuddered and powered down with mournful of the object they wish to colonise. According to a tried
drones. Emitting sparks and smoke from the holes made by the and tested set of rules based on its habitation potential,
mines, the two tanks lost their grav capability and collapsed to the object being colonised has different types of facili-
the deck with a clang. ties dropped on it, such as life support pods, atmosphere
“Two-one to the organics,” Urasova mused grimly. processing pods and so on. VASA puts its colonies near
grav-wells, for these are the n-space highways through
History which all trade and exploration takes place. VASA favour
VASA grew by increments out of the Viridian space pro- cold worlds with Arctic climates as these are similar to the
gram, and while the faction never broke free of Viridia in a home planet of Vacillus, and their colonies are called Ice
war, like the Syntha or Junkers, it did use those secession- Stations.
ist conflicts as a means of establishing its independence.
The founders of the VASA faction were scientists working
on grav-shunting technology, based on Vacillus. Vacillus
is a distant ice planet orbiting the dead star Leviathan,
and as such it had to be self-sufficient. In later years this
colony, seen by all as sufficiently removed from Viridian
influence to be neutral, brokered peace deals between
Viridia and the other powers in the Secession Wars.
Formalising its role as a peacekeeper, VASA adopted the
name Protectorate and built a massive military shipyard
on Vacillus’ moon Kothon.

119
VASA
Terrain
Here is a selection of terrain areas and objects that are suitable for battles played on this faction’s home colonies.
Name Description Category Characteristics
Road Snow ploughs keep the highways clear between Hab units and customs stations Object Flat, Road
on VASA colonies
Hot Spring These are pools of water kept hot and in a liquid state by the planet’s geothermal Object Flat, Difficult Going,
activity Fordable
Crevasse On top of glacial terrain, the movement of the ice often causes deep, impassable Object Flat, Impassable
fractures to form
Comm Tower A Comm Tower is a large satellite relay that links up with VASA’s Central Admin- Object Impassable
istration on Vacillus. All colonies have at least one
Tundra Basically anywhere on the battlefield not covered by a specific feature counts as Area Flat
this type of terrain. It is the faction’s default terrain type and has no special rules
Taiga Taiga is an area of frozen, coniferous woodland Area Difficult Going, Shelter,
Defensible, Concealment
Glacial Glacial deposits are raised areas of the landscape, such as drumlins, eskers and Area Elevated
Deposits moraine left behind by the passage of a glacier
Ice Shelf Ice shelves offer an impassable barrier to the front combined with a high ground Area Impassable*, Elevated
advantage
Hab Units Hab Units are the pod complexes where VASA’s admin personnel and their fami- Area Difficult Going, Shelter,
lies live on the Ice Stations. They may also have associated security checkpoints Defensible, Concealment
Customs Customs Facilities contain checkpoints, hangers and storage facilities where Area Difficult Going, Shelter,
Facility cargo moving through the Ice Station is held for examination by VASA’s customs Defensible, Concealment
and excise officers

*Only impassable from the front, bases can get up the sides and back of the feature.
120
 Technology Platoons
VASA pioneered the technology of grav-shunting, a faster- The following section is a list of all of the platoon types and
than-light method of transport used in all long distance space their captains.
travel. Grav shunting involves firing high powered Xasers at
massive objects to create wormholes through which ships
can travel. To complement this technology, VASA also devel-
oped efficient pre-fabricated colonisation methods. VASA’s
military also commands state-of-the-art energy weapons and
armour.

Warfare
VASA has by far the largest and best equipped army and
fleet in Pan-Humanic Space, but it is currently badly over-
stretched, quelling uprisings and brushfire wars across the
whole galaxy. The Protectorate bureaucracy is poor at pri-
oritising and often slow to act, but it does try to respond to
everything. Consequently, the resource allocation to any Captain - 3 Points
given conflict is unlikely to be enough for a decisive victory.
However, VASA security forces are highly mobile, well-trained VASA chooses its officers based on their perceived incorrupt-
and well-equipped, and they excel at heavy armour support ibility and adherence to the rulebook. Many of these charac-
tactics. Their weapons are often the most advanced and high ters can be bland sticklers for procedure, but the best of them
spec available and can deal effectively with all tactical situa- are dashing, inspirational figures who command the respect
tions. and loyalty of their men and women. Captains ride in BMD-9
Bear armoured transports.

121
VASA

SART - 6 Points
SART stands for Suppressor Armed Response Team. Each of the three patrols features Suppressors backed up by a KV-18
Ikon tank which is organic to the unit. The Suppressors carry gauss rifles and shock batons for mid-range firefights and assaults
supported by grenade launchers. One of the patrols contains a lieutenant to command the platoon.

122
 SAMS - 6 Points
SAMS stands for Suppressor Anti Materiel Specialists. Mirroring SART squads, the three patrols contain Suppressors backed
up by a KV-18 Ikon tank. The SAMS patrols also have Suppressors with gauss rifles and shock batons for mid-range firefights
and assaults. The support troops carry limpet mines: powerful anti-armour ion weapons that have to be manually attached to
enemy armour. As usual, one of the patrols contains a lieutenant to command the platoon.

123
VASA

Disperser Platoon - 4 Points

The third core infantry unit fielded by VASA is the Disperser Platoon. It is made up of three SART patrols, but instead of a tank
for back up, the fourth element is a Disperser Team. The SART patrols consist of the usual make up, and the Disperser Team
is a heavy weapon crew who carry and operate heavy-duty microwavers for short range support. One of the SART patrols con-
tains a lieutenant to command the platoon.

124
 Black Legion - 8 Points
The Black Legion are VASA’s feared elite jump troopers. A squadron of them consists of four Black Legion patrols. They are
only deployed in military situations and constitute a highly effective mobile strike element on the battlefield. They are equipped
with jump capable powered armour, and weapons called ion lances that are deadly in mid-range firefights and double up as a
sort of energy weapon pole arm in close combat.

125
VASA

Motorised Squadron - 8 Points

Motorised Squadrons provide troop transport under fire for the Protectorate’s Suppressors. The Motorised Squadron consists of
three BMD-9 Bears, one of which is the lieutenant, and a BMD-11 Eagle. The BMD-9 Bear is VASA’s standard armoured troop
carrier. It is effective as a firebase for medium range engagements, with its turret-mounted chain guns, and can transport up to
four fire teams of infantry (usually Suppressors). The BMD-11 Eagle is used in a support role in Motorised Squadrons. It has
the same chassis as the BMD-9 and can also transport up to four fire teams of infantry. However, its turret weapon is a belt-fed
grenade launcher.

126
 Artillery Battery - 11 Points
The core artillery battery deployed by VASA consists of two Triglavs, an Alkonost, and a lieutenant in a BMD-9 Bear. Triglav is
the name given to VASA’s standard long range artillery piece, which is normally used for crowd control. The Triglav consists of
a wheeled chassis with a sonic weapon mounted on it. Like the microwave weapons, this can be calibrated for different effects
ranging from irritant to disperse crowds, to creating a lethal pulse of sound that can burst organs and shake structures to pieces.
The Alkonost is a mobile mortar that uses a deadly, anti-personnel beehive round, which fills the target area with a storm of
metal flechettes.

127
VASA

Ikon Squadron - 12 Points

Ikon Squadrons consist of four KV-18 Ikon tanks, one of which has the lieutenant among its crew. The Ikon is VASA’s main
battle tank, serving as the standard vehicle in armoured companies and in organic support roles for other types of company.
The Ikon sports a turret-mounted Ion Cannon effective against all targets at mid-range, and the hull is protected by microwave
dispersal pods.

128
 Red Hammer Squadron - 12 Points
Red Hammer Squadrons consist of four KV-90 Red Hammer tanks, one of which has the lieutenant among its crew. The Red
Hammer provides long range support in VASA armoured companies. In common with the Ikon it has a chassis protected with
sloped armour and microwave dispersal pods. The main turret weapon is an MLRS, which launches long range missiles that
break up in flight to rain independently targeting micro-missiles on the target area.

129
Advanced Rules
This section includes some extra rules you can
introduce to your battles once you’ve mastered
the core rules. It includes rules for special card
orders playable by captains, and several differ-
ent scenarios to play, each with its own deploy-
ment rules and victory conditions.
Command Cards
These cards represent powerful actions that can turn the
tide of a battle if used at the right moment. Obviously with
such powerful tricks, there are rules and limits to how
many of these cards can be used during a battle:
• When you choose your army, take one card per com-
pany you control in the battle, up to a maximum of four
◦◦ The cards must be selected before the battle
starts, you cannot change your selection during
play
◦◦ The sets contain duplicates of the same order.
You are permitted to take more than one card of
the same type if you wish.
130
• When it is their turn to spend command points, a Cap-
tain may choose to play a Command Card instead of
issuing normal orders
◦◦ If the command card instructs you to do something
in addition to other orders, you may spend com-
mand points to give orders as usual, then resolve
the command card effect in addition to the orders
(e.g. attack after performing another order). This
affects all bases given orders by the Captain
◦◦ Otherwise, the Command Card is played instead
of spending command points
◦◦ The cards are single use. After playing, discard
the card: it cannot be used again during the battle
Alternative Scenarios
The core rules describe a standard deployment method
with an attacker and defender, and a single set of victory
conditions. This is only one way to fight and we’d encour-
age you to come up with other scenarios for your battles.
Here are a few examples of the type of things you can do.
 Breakout
With a Breakout scenario, a smaller force has to punch
through enemy lines to rendezvous with their main force.
The small force is the attacker in this scenario, the large
force the defender. Set up the playing area as shown in
the diagram.

Sides
The defender should have three times as many points as
the attacker.

Terrain
Set this scenario up according to the core rules for terrain
placement.

Deployment
The defender deploys platoons worth no more than one
third of the total points value of their army in the deploy-
ment area shown.

Once the defender has done this, the attacker deploys

their whole army in the deployment area shown.

131
Advanced Rules
At the beginning of each subsequent game turn, the Special Rules
defender can deploy platoons according to the following The attacker’s bases have to exit the playing area on the
rules: defender’s edge of the tabletop in order to achieve victory.

• Roll 1 dice for each company the defender has which Victory Conditions
is not yet fully deployed on the table, and deploy a sin- The defender wins if they manage to destroy more points
gle platoon to the following area based on the result: worth of enemy bases than managed to break out.
Dice Roll Deployment Area
1 Defender Deployment Area The attacker wins if they manage to break out with more
points worth of bases than were destroyed.
2-3 Left Reserve Area
4-5 Right Reserve Area
6 Attacker Deployment Area
• Newly deployed bases must be placed at least 6” away
from the nearest enemy base. If there is no room to do
this in the area rolled, the platoon is not deployed. It
may come on in a subsequent turn
• Place activation counters on any bases deployed in
this way - they will not be available to give orders to
until the next turn
• When all of a company’s platoons have entered play,
do not roll any more dice for that company when
checking to see where platoons come on

132
 Hold the Line
In a Hold the Line scenario a small force must hold out
until relief arrives. The smaller force is the defender, the
larger force is the attacker. Set up the playing area as
shown in the diagram.

Sides
The attacker should have twice as many points as the
defender.

Terrain
Set this scenario up according to the core rules for terrain
placement.

Deployment
The defender places their whole army first, in the deploy-
ment area shown.

The attacker then places platoons whose combined value

may not exceed half their army’s total points value in the
deployment area shown. The remainder of the army is the
reserve.
At the start of each subsequent turn, the attacker may choose
one of his reserve platoons to place in their deployment area.

133
Advanced Rules
• Place activation counters on any bases deployed from
the reserves in this way - they will not be available to
give orders to until the next turn
Special Rules
At the end of the fourth turn, roll a dice to see if the defend-
er’s relief arrives. If the result is 6, the relief arrives and
the battle ends.
At the end of each subsequent turn after the fourth roll
a dice and add +1 to the result for every turn beyond 4
that the game has lasted. If the result is 6 or more, the
defender’s relief arrives and the battle ends.
Victory Conditions
The battle ends either when the defender loses more than
half the army points value they started the game with, or
when the defender’s relief arrives.
The defender wins if more than half of their force survives
(in terms of points).
The attacker wins if they destroy more than half of the
defenders (in terms of points).
134
Dominate
In a Dominate scenario, the object is to occupy the most
strategically important terrain on the battlefield. Set up the
playing area as shown in the diagram.
Sides
Both sides should have the same points limit for their
army.
Terrain
Players take it in turns to place a piece of terrain on the
playing area, according to the following method:
• Each player rolls 1d6 and whoever scores highest
places the first piece of terrain
• Impassable linear features like rivers and chasms
should be placed first according to the core rules, and
both players need to agree to have them
• Roads are placed next, again, according to core rules
• Finally each player takes a turn placing an area or
object according to the core rules, until all terrain is
placed
Deployment
Players now take it in turns to deploy platoons to the play-
ing area:

• Each player rolls 1d6. Whoever scores lowest places

one platoon anywhere in their deployment area
• The other player now places one of their platoons an-
ywhere in their deployment area
• Continue alternating like this until all platoons have
been deployed. You are now ready to roll initiative and
start the first round
• In addition to the deployment area, players may de-
ploy a single platoon in and around each of the desig-
nated terrain pieces in their own half of the table (see
special rules)

Special Rules
After deployment, each player nominates three areas or
objects in their opponent’s half of the playing area to be
objectives. To achieve victory, one side has to occupy all
three of the nominated terrain pieces (or in the case of
objects, be in base contact with them) in their opponent’s
half of the playing area.

135
Advanced Rules
Victory Conditions
At the end of each turn, check the nominated terrain areas
and objects. If one side has bases within all three nomi-
nated terrain areas on their opponent’s side of the playing
area (or has bases that are not in close combat in contact
with nominated objects), and there are none of their oppo-
nent’s bases in these areas, that side wins the game.
If this is true for both sides, keep playing until the rule only
applies to one side.
If one side drops to having only two bases or fewer left at
the end of a turn, they lose the encounter. If this applies to
both sides simultaneously, then it is a draw.
136
Decapitation
The object of a decapitation encounter is to destroy the
command structure of the opponent (and they to do the
same to you). Set up the playing area as shown in the
diagram.
Sides
Both sides should have the same points limit for their
army.
Terrain
Players take it in turns to place a piece of terrain on the
playing area, according to the following method:
• Each player rolls 1d6 and whoever scores highest
places the first piece of terrain
• Impassable linear features like rivers and chasms
should be placed first according to the core rules, and
both players need to agree to have them
• Roads are placed next, again, according to core rules
Finally each player takes a turn placing an area or object
according to the core rules, until all terrain is placed.
Deployment
Randomly determine who has to deploy a unit first.

Special Rules
None.

Victory Conditions
At the end of each turn, check to see how many Captains
and Lieutenants each side has left in play. If one side has
none of these it loses the game. If neither side has any
Captains or Lieutenants remaining, it is a draw.

137
Heroes of the Age

138
Heroes of the Age is the first supplement for
Age of Tyrants, expanding your game with new
bases, rules, and special order cards.
The Battalion HQ
The Battalion HQ is the layer of command above those
fighting the actual battle. These are senior staff keeping
a close eye on the mission, and can help direct the battle
from their strategic vantage point:
• You and your opponent may choose to play with Bat-
talion HQs if one or both of you have two or more
companies in play
• Once per turn you may use the Battalion HQ to issue
orders (this is in addition to the other lieutenants and
captains in the playing area)
◦◦ The Battalion HQ has 4 command points, and can
issue orders to bases from any company at a cost
of one command point + the number of suppres-
sion points on the ordered base
◦◦ The Battalion HQ can use special order cards
marked as usable by Any, or by Battalion HQ
The Heroes
The leaders in Heroes of the Age are battalion level com-
manders of extraordinary renown and ability. In battle they
stand at the head of companies, like captains, but such is
their authority that they can command any base. The rules
for using Heroes are:
• In the command structure, the Hero takes the role of
Captain, replacing the standard Troop Carrier captain
in that company
• Heroes have 5 command points (except the Syntha
Command tank which has 4)
• Heroes can issue orders to bases from any company
at a cost of one command point + the number of sup-
pression points on the ordered base
• Heroes can use special order cards marked as usable
by Any, or those marked with their own name
Each faction has its own Heroes, embodying the spirit and
values of their armed forces.
139
Heroes of the Age
Junkers Tribune Tertia - 2 points
Severina Lucilla Tertia, Scourge of the South Sector, has
a fearsome reputation for one so young. A career soldier
from a powerful Senate family, she rose quickly through
the officer ranks to her present position of Tribune. At the
head of the VIIth Infantry Legion, Tertia carved a swathe
of new territory for Ironglass by deposing coup leaders
and dictators who sprang up in the economic chaos of the
South Sector Bubble. In combat she has a guard of elite
Praetorians.
140
Junkers Tribune Secundus - 4 points
Marcus Secundus embodies the Junkers’ ethos of scav-
enging and repurposing technology for their own ends.
He began his career as an engineer in the tank crews of
the XIXth Armoured Legion. Famously during the Battle
of the Black Erg, with his commanding officer slain, he
led a team of engineers under fire to repair the command
tank with nearby wreckage. Secundus now leads that very
company in a prototype Excubitor command tank.
 Viridian Major Flint - 2 points
Tom “Buzzsaw” Flint is one of the oldest soldiers to under-
take the punishing Shock Marine training course. Usually
recruits to the elite assault force are under thirty years old,
but Flint was thirty-nine when he did it, and put many of
the younger contenders to shame. His resilient physicality
combined with a no-nonsense, veteran attitude made him
a natural leader of the Shock Marines, and his achieve-
ments on the battlefield have seen Flint rise to com-
mand of the renowned 8th Colonial Marine Battalion, the
Redhawks.
Viridian Major McCann - 4 points
Kate McCann, call sign Tornado, studied military intel at
the Academy on Viridia, before deciding the spook life
wasn’t for her, and signed up for active duty as a driver in
the Armoured Corps instead. Her signature move is a rapid
deployment of armoured reserves to throw the enemy into
disarray. The Major currently leads the 5th Tank Battalion,
the Marauders, from her Vanguard Command Tank.
141
Heroes of the Age
VASA Commissar Orlov - 2 points
Victor Orlov, the Eagle of Kernos, is a veteran of the cam-
paign against proscribed biotech smugglers in the Kernos
systems, a hive of asteroid bases and automated defence
systems. He led raids on many of the illegal facilities and
exposed Syntha involvement in the smuggling ring. His
reward was promotion to the rank of Commissar, along
with a personal retinue of Red Guards and command of
the Protectorate 7th Battalion.
142
VASA Commissar Volkova - 4 points
Mariya Volkova, the Winter Wolf, is a decorated tank
commander who fought on the Eastern Front of ice world
Criovik 9. The campaign was against Junker aggres-
sors attempting to take over the small trading colony and
spaceport there, which threatened grave consequences
for trade through the system. The Junker threat was sup-
pressed thanks to Volkova’s bold armoured assault tactics.
She was given command of the 12th Armoured Battalion
and an Iron Star Command Tank in which to lead it.
 Syntha Psyche - 2 points
Psyche is an Artemis Alpha biomech, a new type of sol-
dier for the new age of warfare. The Artemis biomechs
are the first generation beyond the prototypes, designed
and perfected as infiltration and black ops special forces.
Psyche distinguished herself in a number of missions
against prominent targets from the other factions, and
Prime assigned her the command of the Beta-Omicron
Infantry Battalion, in acknowledgement of her many
redacted achievements.
Syntha Kallista - 4 points
Kallista is the designation given to a new type of Syntha
command tank. An advanced, quantum processor module
enables the SPOMM in this vehicle to slave up to four cells
from any command on the battlefield. The prototype was
tested in the Siege of Vorenus, against Viridian armoured
elements, where its experimental Proteus Cannon proved
devastating. The prototype is now assigned to command
of Delta-Sigma Armoured Battalion.
143
Heroes of the Age
Break Out Scenario
A force must Break Out when it has become surrounded.
This is a difficult manoeuver, fraught with problems of all
kinds. To succeed, the force that is breaking out really
needs help from their friends outside.

Sides
The player that is trying to Break Out is the attacker.

The attacker picks two separate armies, each of which is

equal in points to the defender. The attacker’s armies may
not include fliers (as they’ve already escaped). In addition,
the attacker gets 2 Heroes for free, one in each army.

The defender gets one Hero for free.

Terrain
Set this scenario up according to the core rules for terrain
placement.

144
Deployment Victory Conditions
The defender sets up first, anywhere in the central deploy- The attackers win as soon as two bases from the encir-
ment area. cled army move off the right hand edge of the battlefield.

The attacker sets up second, placing one army in each If the encircled army is reduced to a single base (including
of the outer deployment zones: the encircled army on the any that have moved off) the defenders win.
left, and their rescuers on the right.

Special Rules
After deployment, before the first turn, roll to see how
badly the encircled army has suffered from weeks of bom-
bardment and starvation. Is it in any condition to Break
Out?

Roll a single dice for each base in the encircled army

except the Hero. On a 1-2 that base starts the battle with
1 suppression point; on a 3-4 it starts with 2 suppression
points; on a 5-6 the base can drag itself no further and is
destroyed.

145
Urban Warfare

146
Urban Warfare expands your Age of Tyrants
game with new rules for urban terrain, buildings,
CLAU troop types, and special order cards.
Terrain
Battles in Urban Warfare are designed to take place in
cityscapes, which means your battlefields will look slightly
different and there are a few new terrain types to take
into account. Also, buildings are treated slightly differently;
they can be damaged by bombardment fire and bases of
infantry may enter them to take up covered firing posi-
tions.
Entering Buildings
Buildings in Urban Warfare are treated as terrain areas
that infantry and CLAUs may enter. Use the following
rules:
• Personnel bases and CLAUs may enter buildings on a
move order by moving to base contact with the build-
ing
◦◦ Remove the base from play, and put a counter
representing that base on the building
◦◦ Bases may not enter buildings occupied by en-
emy bases
• If a building is more than 6” on a side it is considered
to be composed of multiple building sections, in much
the same way as terrain areas of the same type can
be placed adjacent to one another to form larger areas
• There is a limit to how many bases may occupy a
building or building section
◦◦ Each 50mm base is approximately 4” square,
therefore, a building or building section can ac-
commodate 1 base for every 4” square of its area.
◦◦ If the building has more than one floor, multiply the
value above by the number of floors it has. This is
the building’s capacity
◦◦ E.g. a rectangular building measuring 4”x2” has
an area of 8” square. This means it has can ac-
commodate 2 bases per floor. The building has
two floors, so its capacity is 2 x 2 = 4 bases
147
Urban Warfare
Buildings in Combat ◦◦ Roll to affect buildings or building sections touched
by the template, just as you would a base. The other
Bases in buildings can participate in combat orders and player rolls a d6 and adds the building’s SR, which is
can be attacked. Buildings themselves can take damage subtracted from the result. Use the following table:
from bombardments. Use the following rules:
Total Base result
• Bases inside buildings can pick any side of the build-
ing as their facing for Attack and Counter Attack or- 1 or less No effect
ders and can target enemy bases according to the 2-3 Add 1 Suppression counter
normal rules for LOS, Line of Fire and elevation 4-5 Add 2 Suppression counters
• You may Attack any base inside a building as long as 6 or more Destroyed
the bases performing the order have line of fire to the
• If the target building or building section already has
building
suppression points on it and takes enough to exceed
Damaging Buildings 2 SP, it is also destroyed
• Destroyed buildings are replaced with areas of rubble
Buildings shelter bases from bombardments, but can also that match the building’s footprint:
be damaged by them. ◦◦ If there are bases inside a building when it is de-
• When bombarding, you may target buildings instead stroyed, each one receives a suppression point.
of bases Place surviving bases so they are touching the
◦◦ You still roll bombard results against bases inside rubble and give them a vulnerable counter
buildings touched by the template. Use the build-
ing’s SR instead of the base’s own against bom-
bardments

148
 Terrain
Here is a selection of terrain areas and objects that are suitable for battles played on an Urban Warfare city battlefield:
Name Description Category Characteristics
Road Clear sections of functional road that enable vehicles to quickly navigate the Object Road
cityscape.
Shell Hole A deep, impassable crater in the concrete or tarmac, caused by heavy shelling. Object Impassable
Barricade Junk and wreckage assembled to form crude roadblocks and obstacles across Object Impassable, Cover
building entrances.
Plaza Basically anywhere on the battlefield not covered by a specific feature counts Area
as this type of terrain. It is open, concreted terrain, strewn with enough street
furniture and obstacles to make it unusable as road.
Parkland Lightly wooded areas with ponds, undergrowth, paths and very small buildings Area Difficult Going, Defensi-
and architectural features that can provide good cover for infantry. ble, Cover, Concealment
City Building Buildings provide defensible features that can be occupied by infantry and Area Elevated, Defensible.
CLAUs. They count as elevated relative to any other building or terrain feature Cover, SR: 6
that the model is taller than.
Reinforced Reinforced buildings have been hardened against attack. All the features that Area Elevated, Defensible,
Building are true of city buildings apply to reinforced buildings, but reinforced buildings Cover, SR: 9
are more difficult to destroy.
Rubble Rubble is the tangle of broken masonry and collapsed floors you get in the after- Area Difficult Going, Defensi-
math of destroying a building. ble, Cover, Concealment

149
Urban Warfare
New Platoons
Urban Warfare introduces a new CLAU platoon for each faction. These are:

Junkers CLAU Team - 8 points

Junkers CLAU teams consist of two CLAUs per section, each supported by a squad of Legionaries equipped with the standard
issue combat shotguns, shields and swords. Three of the CLAU sections are Nero models equipped with heavy flamethrowers
that are extremely effective against personnel at short range. The other CLAU section contains Scorpios, armed with a rotary
cannon for general purpose ranged combat. In close quarters fighting they wield massive chainsaws.

150
 Viridian CLAU Team - 8 points
Viridian CLAU teams consist of two CLAUs per section, each supported by a squad of VDF equipped with standard issue gauss
rifles. Three of the CLAU sections are Sabre models, equipped with long range MLRS systems. The other CLAU section con-
tains Tomahawks, equipped for anti-materiel combat with heavy bazookas. In close assault they wield massive versions of the
vibro-scythes used by Shock Marines.

151
Urban Warfare

Syntha CLAU Team - 8 points

Syntha CLAU teams consist of two CLAUs per section, each supported by a squad of Androsynths equipped with standard
issue pulse rifles. Two of the CLAU sections are Talon models, equipped with anti-materiel plasma cannons. The other two are
long range Pyros, armed with twin-linked heavy pulse rifles. For close assault they have electro-claws.

152
 VASA CLAU Team - 8 points
VASA CLAU teams consist of two CLAUs per section, each supported by a squad of Suppressors equipped with standard issue
gauss rifles and shock batons. Two of the CLAU sections are Executioner models, equipped with Invictor anti tank rifles. The
other two are Pacifiers, armed with heavy microwavers. In close combat they use massive blades to devastating effect.

153
Urban Warfare
Block Busting Scenario
Urban warfare is a complex and messy business, with
troops intermingling and getting lost in the endless warren
of half-destroyed buildings. Friendly fire is a common and
deadly occurrence. Block Busting is just one of the many
tactics that have been developed over the years to try and
bring some form of order to this chaos. This involves iso-
lating and then assaulting individual sections of the urban
sprawl. If the attacker can keep a few defenders bottled
up in a small space then they can overwhelm them locally.
By breaking the battle into tiny chunks like this, a force
can gradually grind its way through a whole city.

Sides
Both sides should have the same points limit for their
army.

Only infantry, CLAU, and flier bases are allowed in both

armies.

Terrain
Note that this scenario uses a smaller (3 x 3) battlefield
than normal.

154
Set up the battlefield as normal, but only use elements
from the terrain table in the Urban Warfare expansion.
Aim for a higher density of terrain than normal and try not
to leave large open areas.
After all terrain has been placed, roll for each building sec-
tion to see whether it has been damaged in the previous
fighting. Roll 1dice:
Total Base result
1-2 Superficial damage only. No game effect.
3-4 Minor Damage. The building starts with
1 suppression point.
5 Major damage. The building starts with
2 suppression points.
6 Destroyed. Replace the building with rubble.
Deployment
Divide the board into nine 1-foot squares using dice to
mark the corners.
Each player divides their own army into three groups. The
only limitation is that each group must include at least 3
bases.
Starting with the defender each player chooses one group
and one of the nine squares. Roll 1d6. On a 3+, that group
can be immediately deployed in that square. On a 1-2 it
must wait until you have rolled for all your other unde-
ployed groups before you can roll for it again.
Then the attacker chooses one of his groups and a dif-
ferent square and does the same. You cannot choose a
square that has been rolled for already (mark unsuccess-
ful ones with dice to remind you).
Continue taking turns to deploy groups until all are on the
table.
If you roll for all 9 squares and still have 1 or more groups
undeployed, then you continue to take turns choosing
a group, but now your opponent gets to choose which
empty square it deploys into. Do not roll; simply deploy
the group in that square.
Special Rules
None.
Victory Conditions
The winner is the first player to destroy more than half of
his opponent’s bases.
155
Recon Operations

156
Recon Ops expands your Age of Tyrants game
with new special abilities, troop types, and spe-
cial order cards.
Special Rules
Recon Ops adds a new special rule that bases can use.
Recon
Bases with the Recon special rule are light, fast, and
stealthy. They can perform a special move order called a
Flank March which enables them to outmanoeuvre ene-
mies to strike where they’re least expected. To perform a
Flank March, use the following rules:
Mounted
Bases with the Mounted special rule are personnel that
ride into battle on some form of steed. They are faster
than most other personnel, but are too bulky to enter
transports. The following rules apply:
• Treat Mounted personnel as any other personnel
base for the purposes of target priority, working out
combat results, etc
• Personnel with the Mounted special rule may not
mount troop carriers

• You may choose not to deploy platoons with the

Recon special rule at the start of the game
• On a subsequent game turn, you may perform the
Flank March order with the lieutenant in charge of a
platoon you kept off table
◦◦ Place the bases within six inches of any edge of
the playing area except your opponent’s side. The
bases must be no more than three inches apart
◦◦ Place activation counters on the bases after they
are placed

157
Recon Operations
Recon Aces
Recon Aces are special forces lieutenants who have
enhanced command capabilities. The rules for using Aces
are:
• You may upgrade one lieutenant with the Recon spe-
cial rule to a Recon Ace.
◦◦ To upgrade a lieutenant to Ace costs 1 point
◦◦ The Ace must be the same type as the lieutenant
◦◦ You may only have one Recon Ace per army
• Recon Aces can use special order cards marked as
usable by Any, or by Recon Ace
• Recon Aces can give orders to any base with the
Recon special rule from the same company at a cost
of one command point + the number of suppression
points on the ordered base. They can give orders to
other bases at a cost of 2 command points + the num-
ber of suppression points on the ordered base

158
 New Platoons
Recon Ops introduces two new platoons for each faction. These are:

Junkers Sandrunners - 8 points

Sandrunners are large quadrupedal reptiles from the desert world of Ironglass, genetically engineered for a variety of tasks
including serving as mounts. To this day the Junkers still deploy Sandrunners as scouts and effective close assault elements
against enemy materiel. A platoon is led by an Optio, and consists of Junker Legionaries mounted on Sandrunners, equipped
with combat blades and thermite lances.

159
Recon Operations

Junkers Dune Raiders - 8 points

The Dune Raider is a light, fast vehicle developed by the Junkers for desert warfare, though they operate just as well as a fast
strike element in any environment. Standard vehicle armaments consist of twin-linked assault shotguns, highly effective against
personnel targets at close quarters. The platoon is led by an Optio and supported by a heavier weapon in the form of a chain
gun fixed on the front fairing of the vehicle.

160
 Viridian Saurian Riders - 8 points
Saurians came out of Viridia’s bio-engineering program during the rebuilding of their society after the Great Flood. The inten-
tion was that genetically engineered organisms would take the place of many machines. In the Age of Tyrants, Colonial Marine
specialists ride them in battle as fast attack elements. The riders are led by a lieutenant and are equipped with gauss rifles and
sidearms as standard, and supported by a heavy gauss rifle.

161
Recon Operations

VIridian Jaguar Strike Craft - 8 points

Jaguar Strike Craft are the military version of a popular mode of transport on Viridia, with its extensive overgrown swamps and
waterways. The craft is a highly manoeuvrable one-man hover vehicle that can travel on terrain that other vehicles cannot.
Jaguar Strike Craft platoons are led by a lieutenant, and the standard armament consists of three linked heavy gauss rifles.

162
 Syntha HK-2000 Heavy Squadron - 8 points
HK-2000 squadrons are the Syntha fast attack and recon element. The HK-2000 is a light, extremely fast and manoeuvrable
grav vehicle. The squadrons are led by a Beta, and standard armament consists of a chain gun mounted under the nose. Heavy
Squadrons also include an HK-2000 Chiron, which has rocket pods for heavy support, and twin-linked pulse rifles.

163
Recon Operations

Syntha HK-2000 Scout Squadron - 8 points

HK-2000 scout squadrons are equipped with modified HK-2000 grav vehicles. Their chain gun has been replaced with a phase
signature targeting module that provides friendly units with exceptional support in the form of enhanced targeting and telemetry.
The squadrons are led by a Beta, and for defence they carry twin linked pulse rifles in the noses of their vehicles.

164
 VASA Viper Wing - 8 points
Viper Wings are VASA’s military bike squadrons, each led by a daring lieutenant. They are fast, light, and can hit hard. Each bike
carries twin gauss rifles in addition to the rider’s own side arms. The squadrons also include a bike and sidecar combination,
armed with a chain gun on the sidecar.

165
Recon Operations

VASA Archangels - 8 points

Archangels are light Jump Troopers that can perform special HALO (high altitude/low opening) deployments with their wing
packs to avoid enemy detection. An Archangel squadron is led by a lieutenant. Archangels are armed with modified gauss car-
bines, optimised for close quarters combat.

166
167
Recon Operations
Ambush Scenario
Ambush is a favourite tactic of light recon teams who can
sneak into position and surprise enemy forces many kilo-
metres behind the front lines. The defenders are usually
unprepared for battle and must quickly make their way out
of the kill zone before they are destroyed.

Sides
Both sides should have the same points limit for their
army.

Two thirds of the attacker’s platoons (rounded up) must

have the Recon special rule.

None of the Defenders may have the Recon or flier spe-

cial rules.

Terrain
Set this scenario up according to the core rules for terrain
placement.

168
Deployment
The defender places their whole army first, in the deploy-
ment area shown.

All the attacker’s bases with the Recon special rule start
the battle off table on a Flank March. Any remaining bases
are placed in the deployment area shown.

Special Rules
None.

Victory Conditions
Each base in the defending army that is destroyed earns
1 Victory Point (VP) for the attacker.

Each base in the defending army that moves off the bat-
tlefield over the right hand edge earns 3 Victory Points
(VP) for the defender.

The side with the most VPs when there are no defenders
left on the table is the winner.

169
Air Superiority

170
Air Superiority expands your Age of Tyrants • Fliers count as elevated for the purposes of determin-
game with new rules, troop types, and special ing line of sight unless they have a vulnerable counter
next to them
order cards. • Infantry on board flier transports may also dismount
Movement into combat, as per the standard rules for doing so.
Place a vulnerable counter on the flier transport if this
Air Superiority bases have a new movement type called happens
flier, which operates quite differently to other movement
types. The rules are as follows: Bombard
• Bases with the flier rule are not deployed at the start
Some fliers have the ability to bombard. The rules are the
of the game. Keep them off the table
same as bombarding with ground-based artillery, with the
• When a flier is given an order to Attack, Support, Bom-
following additions:
bard, or Move, place it anywhere on the playing area
• Bombard only works against ground targets. This ap-
Orders plies to ground-based artillery too - they may not tar-
get fliers
The role of fliers is to act as transports, provide close sup- • If you wish to bombard with a flier base, place it any-
port against enemy ground units, and intercept enemy fli- where on the table
ers. They can be given the following orders: • Otherwise fliers with the bombard ability are treated
exactly like other bases with the bombard ability, and
Attack may join in bombardments with other bases
Fliers can be the primary attacker, or they can support
attacks by ground bases or other fliers. Place the flier any-
where on the table when you wish it to attack, or support
an attack.

171
Air Superiority
Mount and Dismount
Flier transports are used to move personnel bases on and
off the playing area. Simply move the fliers on to the table.
Personnel bases may then board it, just like any other
transport.
• For mount orders involving fliers, choose a flier with
the transport ability and place it on the tabletop. Up to
two personnel bases may move to board it as per the
standard rules for transports
• Similarly, to dismount, move a laden flier anywhere on
the tabletop. Bases on board may move off it as per
the normal dismount rules
R&R
R&R occurs automatically when fliers are off the table.
Fliers, and all bases on board, recover one point of sup-
pression at the beginning of the turn if they are off the table.
• If the flier or any bases on board it have more than
one point of suppression, you may elect to give them
further R&R. Just keep the flier off the table for an-
other turn to remove the additional suppression

Recall
In battle, fliers come in, do their thing, and then bug out
again. The only order you can give to a flier that is already
on the tabletop and unactivated is recall.
• Remove the flier from the tabletop, even if it is a laden
transport

172
 Flier Aces
Flier aces are special forces lieutenants who have enhanced
command capabilities. The rules for using aces are:
• You may upgrade one lieutenant with the flier move-
ment type to flier ace.
• To upgrade a lieutenant to ace costs 1 point
• The ace must be the same type as the lieutenant
• You may only have one flier ace per army
• Flier aces can use special order cards marked as us-
able by Any, or by flier ace
• Flier aces can give orders to any base with the flier
movement type from the same company at a cost
of one command point + the number of suppression
points on the ordered base. They can give orders to
other bases at a cost of 2 command points + the num-
ber of suppression points on the ordered base

New Platoons
Air Superiority introduces two new platoons for each fac-
tion. These are:

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Air Superiority

Junkers Mars Bomber - 12 points

Mars Bombers are the Junkers multi-role attack craft. A squadron consist of three Mars bombers led by an Optio or flier ace.
They are equipped with incendiary Naphtha bombs for bombarding ground targets, and light gauss cannons for defence and
strafing.

174
 Junkers Maw Lifter - 12 points
The Maw Lifter is so called because it has a great, hinged loading ramp that opens like a lower jaw, to permit loading and
unloading of troops. There are three of these to a squadron, plus an Optio or flier ace. They are armed with heavy flamers and
short-range thermite dart guns.

175
Air Superiority

Viridians Mustang Fighter - 12 points

Mustang fighters are Viridia’s attack craft, well-suited for intercepting enemy fliers and engaging ground targets. The squad-
ron comprises three Mustangs led by a lieutenant or flier ace. Standard armaments are range enhanced chain guns and high
explosive bombs.

176
 Viridians Falcon Transport - 12 points
Viridia’s airborne transport are the Falcons. There are three Falcons to a squadron, and they are led by a lieutenant or flier ace.
Like the Mustang fighter, they are equipped with chain guns for defence.

177
Air Superiority

Syntha Ghost Attack Craft - 12 points

The highly advanced Ghost attack craft are the Syntha’s answer to close air support. There are three Ghosts to a squadron, led
by a Beta SPOMM or flier ace. Their weaponry consists of pulse cannons and plasma bombs.

178
 Syntha Spectre Transport - 12 points
Syntha’s airborne transports come in the form of Spectres. Each squadron consists of three Spectres, led by a Beta SPOMM
or flier ace. Their defences consist of linked pulse rifles.

179
Air Superiority

VASA Skyhammer Fighter - 12 points

The Skyhammer Fighter serves as VASA’s multi-role attack craft. There are three Skyhammers to a squadron, led by a lieuten-
ant or flier ace. Their main weapons are rocket pods that fire tank busting Thunderbolt rockets.

180
 VASA Liberator Transport - 12 points
VASA’s aerial transport is the Liberator. A squadron is made up of three Liberators led by a lieutenant or a flier ace. The Liberator
is equipped with a chain gun and linked LMGs for defence.

181
Air Superiority
Airborne Assault Scenario
Airborne Assaults give the attacker a measure of strategic
surprise, attacking a key location before the enemy can
rush reinforcements to protect it. The assaulting troops
bypass all but the closest troops to the objective, and
these must hold out desperately until help arrives.
Objective
Sides
The attacker should have twice as many points as the
defender.

The attacker must be able to put all of his non-flier bases

inside flier transports at the same time.

Terrain
The defender places one non-impassable scenery ele-
ment covering each of the objective locations shown on
the map.
Objective
After this, set up the rest of the battlefield according to the
core rules for terrain placement.

182
Deployment If the attacker controls both objectives then they win. A
The defender places his whole army first, anywhere on side has control when one of its bases in positioned on
the battlefield. top of the objective.

The attacker’s whole army starts off-table.

Special Rules
At the end of the fourth turn, roll a dice to see if the defend-
er’s relief arrives. If the result is 6, the relief arrives and
the battle ends.

At the end of each subsequent turn after the fourth roll

a dice and add +1 to the result for every turn beyond 4
that the game has lasted. If the result is 6 or more, the
defender’s relief arrives and the battle ends.

Victory Conditions
If the defender’s relief arrives, they win. Otherwise, at the
end of the second and all subsequent turns, check to see
if either side has won.

If the attacker has no bases left on the tabletop (not count-

ing fliers) then the defender wins. Bases currently off-table
are ignored.

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