Nuclear

Winter

1
Contents

1-Characters (page 4)

2-Skills (page 7)

3-Challenges (page 12)

4-Combat (page 15)

5-Equipment (page 20)

6-Enhancements (Page 29)

7-Environment (page 33)

2
Introduction
The year is 2075 and the Earth has been reduced to
little more than a wasteland. Ravaged by the horrors of
nuclear and biological warfare, mankind has entered an
era where only the fittest will survive; a post-Darwinist
nightmare that even he would be at a loss to comprehend.
Basic amenities and resources, once taken for granted,
are now scarce and the source of endless and bloody
conflict. The last, great, war that ended almost 30 years
ago has turned the planet that man once called home, into
a living hell...

3
1-Characters
By 2035, the bio-engineering of eugenically altered
offspring was the norm. In the “brave new world” of the
21st century, a child could be genetically coded with the
necessary characteristics to enable them to fit into
predetermined roles in society. The Russian scientist,
Vladimir Ivanovich, was the first to perfect the
technique. The research that he undertook has since come
to be known as ‘The Genesis Project.’

Players in the game will create characters that have

been genetically modified and will have to make choices
as to what those modifications are.

A-Primary Statistics
Nuclear Winter uses 4 statistics to broadly define a
character’s physical and mental characteristics. These
statistics are assigned a numerical value between 2 and
6, with 2 being the worst and 6 being the best:-

Physique (PH)

Agility (AG)

Reasoning (RE)

Fellowship (FE)

Physique represents a character’s strength and

endurance, as well as their resistance to toxins and
diseases.

Agility represents a character’s mobility and reflexes,

as well as their coordination.

Reasoning represents a character’s intellectual ability

and education.

Fellowship represents a character’s charisma and

physical attractiveness.

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B-Determining Statistics
Every statistic starts with a value of 2 and this is the
minimum value that any characteristic can be for a
character. It is possible that certain conditions may
reduce a characteristic below this number, but at the
start of the game, 2 is the lowest number that is allowed
by default.

Players get 8 points which they can distribute freely

among their character’s statistics with 2 being the
minimum, and 6 being the maximum scores allowable after
the process has been completed.

C-Secondary Statistics
After the player has assigned scores to their
character’s main statistics, they must then note down the
values of their secondary statistics. The secondary
statistics used in Nuclear Winter are the following:-

Vitality (Vi)

Speed (Sp)

Vitality represents how much physical trauma a character

can withstand before falling unconscious or dying.
Vitality is equal to a character’s physique score, with
combat specialists receiving an extra 2 points.

Speed represents the distance that a character can move

in a combat round (see below) and is calculated as being
6+Agility. This is measured in meters and will vary
depending on whether they are swimming, walking, or
running etc.

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D-Areas of Expertise
After the player has finished assigning scores to their
character’s statistics they must then choose an area of
expertise for that character. The three areas of
expertise available are: combat, subterfuge and
technical. After they have chosen one of these areas of
expertise they will then have to choose which advanced
skills they wish their character to know (if any) and
which non-advanced skills they wish their character to
specialise in.

Skills that are not labelled as being advanced are

automatically available to all characters but only
characters that belong to the area of expertise in which
those skills belong will be able to specialise in them.
General skills can be specialised in by any character
regardless of their chosen area of expertise.

All players get to choose two skills from the area of

expertise they have selected for their character in which
that character will be specialised. All players also get
to choose two skills from the general skills category in
which their characters will be specialised.

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2-Skills
Characters in Nuclear Winter are not only defined by
their statistics, but also by what skills they are good
at. Skills are grouped together in categories for easy
reference. Listed in the table below are all the skills
used in the game:-

Category Skill Governing

Statistic
Brawl PH
Combat
Dodge AG
Combat
Melee Weapons PH
Combat
Ranged Weapons AG
Combat

Sleight-of-Hand AG
Subterfuge (A)
Toxins (A) RE
Subterfuge
Track (A) RE
Subterfuge
Traps (A) AG
Subterfuge

Computing (A) RE
Technical
Electronics (A) RE
Technical
Engineering (A) RE
Technical
Medicine (A) RE
Technical

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 Category Skill Governing
Statistic
Appraise RE
General
Athletics PH
General
Drive AG
General
Knowledge RE
General
Perception RE
General
Persuasion FE
General
Ride RE
General
Survival RE
General

A skill’s governing statistic is used whenever a

character attempts an action related to that skill (see
below.)

Skills denoted with the symbol (A) are classed as being

advanced skills, and only those trained in their use can
use them (see below.)

Only those skills deemed important in general play have

been included in these tables. Other skills may be
included in the game at the President’s discretion (the
President is the name given to the person running the
game.)

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A-Skill Descriptions

Combat Skills
Brawl-This skill determines how competent a character is
at defending themselves in unarmed combat. Whether they
are martial artists, or whether they have just had to
learn to survive on the street is irrelevant.

Dodge-This skill determines how competent a character is

at evading attacks as well as certain other physical
threats.

Melee Weapons-This skill determines how well a character

can use close combat weapons. These can be anything from
crude bits of wood or metal, to knives or police batons.

Ranged Weapons-This skill determines a character’s

ability to use weapons that attack from a distance. These
can be anything from bows and crossbows, to pistols and
rifles. This skill also determines how well a character
is able to use weapons that must be physically hurled to
be effective. These can include anything from stones, to
spears or grenades.

Subterfuge Skills
Sleight-of-Hand (A)-This skill represents a character’s
ability to perform deft manoeuvres with their hands,
allowing them to make small objects “disappear” or pick
somebody’s pockets.

Toxins (A)-This skill enables a character to manufacture

toxic materials from both naturally occurring substances
as well as synthetic chemical compounds. It also makes it
possible for them to identify different types of toxins
as well as manufacture their antidotes.

Track (A)-This skill enables a character to follow the

trails of those that have since left an area. It is
predominantly used outdoors but it will also allow a

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character to follow somebody or something in an urban
setting in certain circumstances as well.

Traps (A)-This skill enables a character to rig different

types of trap to injure, maim, or kill anyone or anything
unlucky enough to trigger it. These types of traps are
not simple snares to catch prey, but ingenious and
vicious contraptions used in both jungle and guerrilla
warfare. This skill also enables the character to use,
and diffuse, explosive and explosive devices.

Technical Skills
Computing (A)-This skill represents much more than just
being able to send emails and perform basic computer
maintenance, it enables a character to bypass software
security systems and hack into programs and databases.

Electronics (A)-This skill represents a character’s

knowledge of circuitry and electronic devices. It enables
them to diagnose problems and carry out repairs. Whether
the device in question is a television or a robot,
doesn’t matter, a character with this skill can try their
hand at tinkering with any electronic apparatus.

Engineering (A)-This skill enables a character to fix

engines, generators and other such devices. They are both
mechanic and engineer, able to strip down a car or fix a
boiler.

Medicine (A)-A character that knows this skill is both a

doctor and a surgeon. Not only are they able to
administer first aid but they are also able to carry out
operations and even treat people who have ingested or
been injected with toxins.

General

Appraise-This skill enables a character to be able to be

able to determine the worth of items, from household

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appliances to precious metals. It also allows them to
spot fakes and forgeries.

Athletics-This skill encompasses a range of activities

including jumping, swimming and climbing.

Drive (A)-This skill is labelled as an advanced skill

because in 2075, vehicles in full working order and fuel
are hard to come by. A character that is specialised in
the drive skill can also pilot boats and aircraft.

Knowledge-This skill is broadly defined and represents a

character’s education as well as most of the things they
know about the world around them. It includes geography,
history, the sciences and almost any piece of trivia
relevant to almost any subject.

Perception-This skill represents how alert and astute a

character is. It not only quantifies their ability to use
their senses to detect potential threats or danger, but
also their ability to find hidden objects, and even
discern whether somebody is lying to them.

Persuasion-This represents a character’s ability to

coerce somebody into doing what they want them to do, or
getting them to believe something that they are saying.
There are various ways that these ends can be achieved:
bluffing, diplomacy, or even intimidation. All of these
approaches are covered by this skill.

Ride-In the wastelands of 2075, horses are the new car.

Almost everybody that has access to horses learns to
ride. Therefore this is classed as a basic skill that
characters automatically know.

Survival-This skill represents a character’s knowledge of

all the techniques necessary to survive in harsh
conditions. Everything from finding food and water to
building a sturdy shelter are covered by this skill. Many
things look normal in the irradiated wastelands of 2075,
but often only a trained eye will be able to tell if they
are contaminated or not.

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3-Challenges

A-What is a Challenge?
A challenge is any situation in which a character finds
themselves that has an indefinite outcome, and usually
carries with it an element of risk or danger. When these
situations arise dice must be rolled to determine what
happens. Most of the time a character will use one of
their skills to achieve an objective, but where there is
no appropriate skill, a simple statistic test must be
made instead.

Nuclear winter uses dice known as ‘Fudge’ dice. These

are six-sided dice that instead of having numbers printed
on each of their faces, have symbols or are even blank
instead. A fudge dice has two + signs, two – signs, and
two blank faces. These will hereafter be known as +, -,
and 0 respectively.

B-Undertaking a Challenge
Before any dice are rolled the President assigns a
challenge rating to the task that can range from 1-8,
with 1 being the easiest, and 8 being the hardest. This
number indicates the amount of ‘hits’ a character must
achieve when rolling the dice; a hit is indicated by
rolling a +.

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 Challenge Rating (Skill) General Difficulty
1 Easy
2 Average
3 Difficult
4 Very Difficult
5 Extremely Difficult
6 Hazardous
7 Herculean
8 Nigh on Impossible

Challenge Rating (Statistic) General Difficulty

1 Easy
2 Average
3 Difficult
4 Very Difficult
5 Hazardous
6 Nigh on Impossible

When undertaking a skill challenge, a player can roll as

many dice as the numerical value of the governing
statistic associated with that skill when trying to
succeed at the challenge (provided they are able to use
that skill.) Character’s that are specialised in a skill
gain two extra dice when making skill challenges in which
that skill is used.

When undertaking a statistic challenge, a number of dice

are rolled equal to the numerical value of the relevant
statistic.

C-Aided Challenges
In certain circumstances, it may be possible for more
than one character to participate in a challenge; Nuclear
Winter leaves it up to the President to decide when this
is possible. The skill or statistic that is used for the
aided challenge will always be that belonging to the

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character taking part who has the highest value in that
statistic or skill. Only those characters with a
statistic or skill that is within two points of the
challenge’s difficulty rating will be able to offer
assistance. The amount of characters that are able to
take part in any particular challenge is up to the
President’s.

As a general rule, every time that the aiding characters

combined statistic or challenge ratings equal the
difficulty rating of the challenge, the difficulty rating
of that challenge will be reduced by 1. Even though the
difficulty rating is lowered in such situations, the
actual number used for determining if aiding characters
can provide a bonus remains the same.

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4-Combat

A-Phases
Combat is split into phases, with each participant being
only able to perform a single action, or certain
combinations of actions during such a phase; a phase is
approximately five seconds long.

B-The Drop Roll

At the beginning of each combat phase, each side
participating must roll a die to determine who has the
choice of taking their actions first: a + will beat a 0
and a -, and a 0 will only beat a -. If both sides happen
to achieve the same result, simply roll the dice again
until each obtains a different one. Whichever side gets
the better roll must then decide whether it wants to take
its actions first, or defer and let the opposing side go
before them. The side that achieved the best result is
considered as having got the ‘drop’ on their opponent.

C-Actions
There are three types of action in Nuclear Winter:
important, petty, and instant.

 Only one important action can usually be performed

in any given combat phase, and include such things
as firing a gun, or throwing a grenade.
 Up to two petty actions can be performed during any
given combat phase, and include things such as
walking, running, drawing a weapon, or opening a
door.
 Up to two instant actions can be performed in any
combat phase, and include such things as uttering a
few words, or dropping something.

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 The maximum number and type of actions that can be
made in any particular combat phase are as follows:-

 1 important/1 petty/2 instant

 2 petty/2 instant

Using the table below as a guideline, the President

must decide under which classification any particular
action falls that is not listed.

Action Type
Make an Attack Important
Undertake a Challenge Important
Draw a weapon Petty
Open a Door Petty
Walk Petty
Run Petty
Speak Instant
Drop Something Instant

D-The Attack Roll

To make an attack, a character rolls a number of dice
equal to the numerical value of the combat skill that
they are using to make the attack. If a character is
specialised in the combat skill being used, then two
extra dice are rolled. The amount of hits is then totted
up. Next, the target of their attack must roll an amount
of dice equal to the numerical value of the skill that
they are using to defend themselves, and if they are
specialised in that skill, then they also are able to
roll two extra dice. If the attacker rolls more + than
the defender, then their attack is considered to have
hit. If the defender rolls more + than the attacker, then
the attack is considered to have missed. If both
combatants obtain the same amount of +, then they must
both roll again.

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E-Defending
Provided a character is able to defend themselves, they
must make a decision as to how they are going to defend
themselves against any particular attack. There are two
options available: dodge or parry. Not every type of
attack can be both parried and dodged some are only
defendable using one option or the other. The table below
clarifies this:-

Dodge Melee Weapon Shield

Melee Attack (Unarmed) √ √

×
Melee Attack (Weapon) √ √ √

Ranged attack (Thrown) √

× ×
Ranged Attack (Grenade) √
× ×
Ranged attack (Projectile) √ √*
×

*Only archaic projectiles such as bolts and arrows can be

parried.

To keep things simple, ranged weapons of any kind cannot

be used for parrying.

F-Damage
If an attack is successful, then damage must be
calculated: take away the number of + the defender rolled
from the number of + that the attacker rolled; this is
considered to be the base amount of damage done.
Depending on the weapon used, the attacker can then apply
a number of ‘nudges’ to their dice. The amount of nudges
they can apply is listed in that weapon’s description in
the equipment chapter (see below.) A single nudge will
allow them to change any die’s result by 1: i.e. a – can
be nudged to make it a 0, and a 0 can be nudged to make

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it a +. Two nudges will allow a die to shift two steps:
i.e. from a – to a +.

The defender may also be able to nudge their dice if

they are wearing armour. Each armour type will specify
the amount of nudges that it allows in its description.
The same rules apply to defenders nudging their dice as
attackers.

After both the attacker and the defender have finished

nudging their dice, the total amount of + are compared:
if the attacker has the most +, then the amount they have
in excess of the defenders total is the amount of
Vitality that the defender will lose as a result. If the
defender has the most +, then they sustain no damage from
that attack.

G-Death

A character is considered unconscious when their

Vitality reaches 0, and dead if it ends up a negative
number.

H-Healing

Characters heal Vitality naturally at the rate of 1

point/day. They can also heal themselves through the use
of medicines (see the equipment chapter for details.)

I-Advantages and Disadvantages

There will be times in combat when an attacker, a

defender, or both an attacker and a defender will find
themselves in an advantageous or disadvantageous
position. When such a situation arises, one or both of
them will count all 0 on their dice as + or -. An
advantage or a disadvantage must first be classified as
being minor, major or absolute, with a minor advantage
affecting the dice of one character, a major disadvantage
affecting the dice of both characters, and with an
absolute advantage counting all the attacker’s available
dice as + and all the defender’s as -. A character at an

18
advantage will count 0 as +, and a character at a
disadvantage will count 0 as -. The defender’s dice are
always affected first unless otherwise stated.
Advantages are cumulative: i.e. two minor advantages
will make a major advantage.

Concealment

Concealment is considered to be a penetrable obstacle

between the attacker and the defender such as a curtain.
It also includes smoke, fog or darkness.

 Partially transparent material grants a minor

advantage.
 Opaque material grants a major advantage
 Thick smoke, fog or little light grant a minor
advantage
 Total darkness grants a major advantage

Cover
Cover is defined as being something in between an
attacker and a defender that is impenetrable to the form
of attack being used.

 0-49% cover is considered no advantage

 50-89% cover is considered a minor advantage
 90-99% cover is considered a major advantage
 100% is considered an absolute advantage

Helpless
A helpless character is one that is considered unable to
defend itself. Examples would be if they are restrained
in some way, or unconscious.

 Being helpless is considered an absolute

disadvantage

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5-Equipment

A-Money
In the wastelands of 2075 U.S.A., the dollar is still
used as currency; bartering is also commonplace. The
prices listed in this chapter are in no way supposed to
reflect the value of the modern dollar.
Player’s characters start the game with $500.

B-Weapons

Weapon Skill Hands Weight Damage Cost

Unarmed* Brawl - - = 0
Improvised Varies 1 or 2 Varies 0 or 1n 0
Weapon**
Light Melee Melee 1 1-2kg = $40
Weapon Weapons
Heavy Melee Melee 2 3-4kg 1n $80
Weapon weapons
Thrown Ranged 1 1-2kg = $20
Weapon Weapons
Light Ranged 2 1-1.5kg = $50
Bow/Crossbow Weapons
Heavy*** Ranged 2 1.5- 1n $100
Bow/Crossbow Weapons 2.5kg
Sidearm Ranged 1 .5-1kg 1n $150
weapons
Rifle Ranged 2 1-2kg 2n $300
Weapons
Machine Ranged 2 3-4kg 2n $450
Gun**** Weapons
Grenade***** Ranged 1 .5kg 1n $30
Weapons
Grenade Ranged 2 4kg - $300
Launcher Weapons

 = damage indicates that no adjustment is made to

the base damage dice.

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*Unarmed attacks grant a minor advantage when used
against a defender wearing armour (for the calculation of
damage only.)

**Improvised weapons can be anything from a lead pipe to

a hurled piece of rock and their damage is dependent on
their size and weight: in general, an improvised weapon
that is used in one hand will do = damage, and an
improvised weapon used in two hands will do 1n damage.
They also grant a minor advantage when used against
defenders wearing armour (for the calculation of damage
only.)

***Heavy bows/crossbows can only fire once every other

combat phase.

****Machine guns grant a minor advantage to the firer

(only when calculating damage.)

*****Grenades are an area effect weapon: i.e. all targets

within the blast area will take damage. Their area of
effect is a 5m radius.

weapon Short Medium Long

Range Range Range
Light Bow/Crossbow 6m 120m 180m
Heavy Bow/Crossbow 9m 180m 240m
Thrown Weapon PH×2m PH×3m PH×4m
Sidearm*,** 12m 240m 360m
Rifle*,** 16m 320m 480m
Machine Gun 12m 240m 360m
Grenade PH×2m PH×3m PH×4m
Grenade Launcher 9m 180m 240m

 Ranged attacks made at short range grant the

attacker a minor advantage (to hit only.)

 Ranged attacks made at medium range provide the

firer no advantage, or disadvantage.

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  Ranged attacks at long range are made at a minor
disadvantage to the firer (to hit only.)

*Aiming is only possible if the character is not being

physically attacked or jostled around and takes two
combat phases to make, not one. Aiming will make a long
range shot seem like a medium range shot, and a medium
range shot seem like a short range shot. At short range
it will grant the firer a minor advantage against a
target (to hit only.)

**If the character is using a scope it will negate the

penalty for a long or medium range shot, making it
instead equivalent to making a shot at short range. This
can only be done if the character firing is not being
physically attacked or jostled around and takes two
combat phases to make, not one. If the character is
disturbed or attacked in any way while using the scope,
its benefit will be lost. At short range it will grant
the firer a minor advantage against a target (to hit
only.)

C-Firing in Melee Combat

Anyone who uses a ranged weapon (except a thrown weapon)
while actively engaged in melee combat will be at a minor
disadvantage when attempting to defend themselves against
any enemy’s attack that was adjacent to them when that
ranged weapon was used.

D-Poor Quality Firearms

For the sake of simplicity Nuclear Winter only includes
rules for poor quality sidearms and rifles. A poor
quality sidearm will only be as effective as a heavy
bow/crossbow, and a rifle will only be as effective as an
ordinary sidearm. They will also only cost 75% as much as
a good quality version of the same weapon.

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E-Ammunition
To keep things simple, in Nuclear Winter, all ammunition
costs 10% of the price of the weapon it is designed to
fit, and will be enough to make twelve attacks.

F-Armour

Armour Weight Protection Cost

None* - = 0
Light (Archaic)** 4kg = $80
Medium (Archaic)** 8kg 1n $160
Heavy (Archaic)** 12kg 2n $320
Shield (Archaic)** 4kg = $60
Light 2kg = $120
Medium 4kg 1n $240
Heavy 6kg 2n $480
Shield 2kg = $90

 = protection indicates that no adjustment is made

to the base defence dice.

*Characters not wearing armour grant a minor advantage to

attackers making any attack against them, other than an
unarmed attack or an attack using an improvised weapon.

**All archaic armours are at a minor disadvantage when

modern or futuristic ranged weapons are used against
them.

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F-Armour and Movement
Archaic armours such as mail and plate will slow a
character down more than futuristic armours that are made
of complex fibres and plastics, as well as have a more
dramatic effect on their overall mobility. The table
below shows the effect of different types of armour when
attempting skill or statistic challenges based on
agility:-

Armour Movement/Challenge Penalty

None* -/-
Light (Archaic)** -/-
Medium (Archaic)** -8m/+1 difficulty
Heavy (Archaic)** -16m/+2 difficulty
Shield (Archaic)** -/-
Light -/-
Medium -4m/-
Heavy -8m/+1 difficulty
Shield -/-

G-Laser Weapons
Handheld laser weapons come in two varieties: laser
pistols and laser rifles. Unlike ordinary firearms that
use ammunition, a laser weapon uses a rechargeable energy
cell to power it. Wearers of any type of archaic armour
are at a major disadvantage when a laser weapon is used
against them (damage only) and wearers of futuristic
armour are at a minor disadvantage when a laser weapon is
used against them (damage only.)

Laser Skill Hands Weight Damage Cost

Pistol Ranged 1 1kg 1n $300
Weapons
Rifle Ranged 2 2kg 2n $600
Weapons

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 Laser weapon energy cells cannot be recharged, they must
be replaced. A fully charged laser weapon cell will
provide enough power for that weapon to fire 60 shots;
after that it must be replaced.

 Laser pistol energy cells cost $75

 Laser rifle energy cells cost $150

H-Light Absorbing Material

It is possible to negate the advantage that laser weapons
are granted by incorporating a special light absorbing
polymer in their construction. This can only be done to
futuristic armour, cannot be done retrospectively, and
will cause their cost to double.

I-Other Weapons

Weapon Skill Hands Weight Damage Cost

Smoke Ranged 1 .5kg - $30
Grenade weapons

Smoke grenades release a thick vapour into the air that

obscures vision as if those in it were being affected by
thick fog (see the environment chapter for details.)

Weapon Skill Hands Weight Damage Cost

Taser Brawling 1 1kg Special $120

A taser is a handheld device that emits a powerful

static charge that can cause temporary muscular paralysis
in a victim. To see if the target is affected, have them
perform a physique statistic challenge with a difficulty
level of 3.

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J-Other Equipment

Item Weight Cost

Infrared Goggles .5kg $160
Flashlight .5kg $20
Gas Mask .5kg $120
Biohazard Suit 3kg $480
Communicator .25kg $40
Tool Kit 5kg $240
Medical Kit .5kg $30
Radiation Antidote .1kg $60
Toxin Antidote .1kg $20-120

Infrared Goggles-These goggles allow the user to see into

the infrared spectrum, making it possible to operate in
complete darkness. The goggles have a range of 500m and
run on an internal battery. The battery costs $20 to
replace and lasts for 200 hours.

Flashlight-Flashlights provide illumination and are

powered by an internal battery. They have a range of 250m
and the battery cost $5 to replace. The life of a fresh
battery is 100 hours.

Gas Mask-Gas mask’s fit over the wearer’s face and

sometime’s whole head, and have a built in filtering
mechanism for removing any noxious substances from the
air being drawn into them. The wearer of such a mask will
be immune to all the effects of harmful gasses.

Biohazard Suit-A Biohazard suit completely insulates the

wearer from the outside world, and includes a gas mask as
well as special gauntlets and boots. It will protect the
person inside it from harmful chemicals, gasses and
radiation. Certain corrosive substances will burn through
the suit however.

Communicator-Communicators are small handheld devices

that allow a user to send and receive messages, as well

26
as talk over long distances. There are currently no
communication satellites able to be accessed by wanderers
of the wasteland, so communication devices must connect
directly to each other, or via earth-based networks, and
even operational ones of those are scarce. The range of a
handheld communicator without access to a communication
network of some kind will be 10km. If a communication
network is able to be accessed, then the range could be
hundreds, or even thousands of kilometres for such a
device.

Tool Kit-This is not just a set of spanners and

screwdrivers, but a whole plethora of useful items. For
the sake of simplicity, tool kits in Nuclear Winter
contain everything necessary to carry out small scale
repairs on everything from mundane household fixings and
fittings, to the engines of motorcycles, cars, and goods
vehicles.

Medical Kit-A medical kit contains all the basic things

necessary to treat tissue trauma, including cuts,
fractures, burns etc. Each kit contains enough material
to treat up to 8 points worth of vitality damage. To
treat a wound, a character must make a medicine skill
challenge with the amount of hits on the dice indicating
the maximum amount of vitality points that they can heal.

Radiation Antidote-Each bottle of radiation antidote

pills can nullify a total of 6 rads that a victim has
been affected by. No skill challenge is necessary, the
result is automatic.

Toxin Antidote-Each bottle of toxin antidote pills has

enough in it to treat one victim. A toxin antidote will
only have an effect on toxins that have a potency value
equal to or less than itself. The cost of a toxin
antidote is dependent on how effective it is: multiply
its numerical rating (1-6) by 20 to work out its cost in
dollars.

27
K-Transport

Mode Cost
Horse $500
Bicycle $250

Horse-Horses are the new car in a post 2075 world. They

can move up to 108m in a combat phase, with their
crawling pace being 3m/combat phase, their walking pace
being 6m/combat phase, and their jogging pace being
24m/combat phase.

Bicycle-A character riding a bicycle can travel at twice

their normal movement rate.

28
9-Enhancements
In Nuclear Winter, enhancements come in two forms:
stimulants and implants. Stimulants are performance
enhancing drugs that can make characters stronger,
quicker, smarter etc, and implants are permanent fixtures
surgically placed inside the recipient’s body that will
permanently improve them in some way.

A-Stimulants
Stimulants can be administered in different ways: they
can be injected into the bloodstream hypodermically, as
well as taken orally in the form of tablets or capsules.
The downside to using stimulants, are twofold: the user
can become addicted to them, and they can also react
badly to something they have just taken.

Stimulants, unless otherwise stated, take one minute to

have an effect on the user. Every time a stimulant is
injected or ingested a number of times that exceeds a
character’s physique score, a challenge must be
undertaken with a difficulty of 1 using that statistic.
If this is failed, the character using the drug will
become addicted to it, and until they are able to obtain
another ‘fix’, they will be at a minor disadvantage to
every action they perform. To rid themselves of their
dependency, they must succeed in a physique statistic
challenge with a difficulty of 3; they can only undertake
this challenge once in a week.

29
 The table below lists the most common stimulants to be
found in Nuclear Winter:-

Stimulant Effect Cost

Anabolex Boosts physique $50
and physique based
skills
Refolex Boosts agility and $50
agility based
Skills
Neurox Boosts reasoning $50
and reasoning
based skills
Confidol Boosts fellowship $50
and fellowship
based skills

 Different effects from different drugs are able to

function simultaneously.
 Taking more than one of the same drug will not
increase the potency of that drug.
 If another dose of a drug that is still in effect
is taken, then the effects of the previous one will
be ignored and the time limit of the new drug will
be applied.
 The effects of all stimulants last for ten minutes.
 Every time a stimulant is taken, the user must
succeed in a physique statistic challenge with a
difficulty of 1 or have a ‘bad trip’. Any character
having a bad trip must roll one die:-

─ The character blacks out

for a number of combat
phases equal to 12 minus
their physique score’s
numerical value. When they
come round, the drug will
have no further effect.

30
 0 The character becomes
paranoid and delusional,
and will become frightened
and hysterical. The exact
effects of their condition
are left up to the
president. This will last
for a number of combat
phases equal to 12 minus
their reasoning statistic’s
numerical value. When they
recover their senses, the
drug will have no further
effect.

+ The character becomes

nauseas and will suffer a
minor disadvantage to any
action they perform for a
number of combat phases
equal to 12 minus their
physique score’s numerical
value. When this period of
time has expired, the drug
will have no further
effect.

Whenever an action is performed or a challenge

undertaken using the statistic that a stimulant enhances,
if any hits are scored on the dice then one of those hits
will count as 2 points instead of 1.
The effects of stimulants are cumulative with those of
implants.

B-Implants
Implants are semi-permanent alterations made to a
recipient’s body that improve their physical and mental
capabilities. They require surgery to be placed inside a
person’s body, and also surgery to be removed. A list of
the most common implants to be found in Nuclear Winter is
provided in the table below:-

31
 Implant Effect Cost
Neuron Chip Boosts reasoning $10,000
and reasoning
based skills.
Ocular Chips Enhances the $10,000
effectiveness of
ranged attacks and
allows the
recipient to see
as if they were
permanently
wearing infrared
goggles.
Nanobot Immune All physique $10,000
System statistic
challenges to
resist toxins and
diseases are made
easier.

Whenever an action is performed or a challenge

undertaken that an implant affects, one hit rolled on the
dice will count as 2 points instead of 1.
The effects of implants are cumulative with those of
stimulants.

32
6-Environment

A-Movement
Characters can move at four different paces: crawling,
walking, jogging, and running. In a combat phase,
depending on their agility score and what pace they are
moving at, different amounts of ground will be covered.

Agility Crawling Walking Jogging Running

2 3m 6m 12m 38m
3 3m 6m 12m 42m
4 3m 6m 12m 46m
5 3m 6m 12m 50m
6 3m 6m 12m 54m

B-Encumbrance
The amount of weight a character can carry before
becoming encumbered is determined by their Physique.

Physique Lightly Encumbered Heavily Encumbered

2 10kg 20kg
3 15kg 30kg
4 20kg 40kg
5 25kg 50kg
6 30kg 60kg

 Lightly encumbered characters cannot run and all

skill and statistic challenges involving agility
will be 1 level of difficulty higher than normal.
 Heavily encumbered characters cannot jog or run and
all skill and statistic challenges involving
agility will be 2 levels of difficulty higher than
normal.

33
C-Fatigue
There are various ways in which a character can become
fatigued: a lack of sleep, running, travelling long
distances on foot, a lack of food or water etc.
Characters suffering from fatigue undertaking skill and
statistic challenges will have the difficulty levels of
those challenges increased by 1. They will also receive a
-1 to all attack and defence rolls during combat.

 Lack of sleep-Characters need 6 hours of sleep a

night to function normally; any less than this and
they will succumb to the effects of fatigue. These
effects will continue until the character manages
to get 6 hours of sleep.
 Running-If a character runs continuously for a
period of time greater than their physique score in
minutes, they will become fatigued. To recover,
they must take a 5 minute rest. They will also be
unable to move any faster than a jogging pace for 1
minute.
 Travelling long distances on foot-If a character
travels continuously for a period of time equal to
or greater than their physique in hours, they will
become fatigued. To recover, they must rest for 5
minutes. If two such periods of time are spent
travelling, the only way the character will be able
to recover is to get 6 hours sleep.
 Lack of food and/or water-If a character goes more
than 24 hours without food or water, they will
become fatigued. To recover, they must eat or drink
something. It will take 5 minutes for the character
to perk up after doing so.

34
D-Toxins
Toxins come in many forms, from animal venom to
pharmaceutically prepared plant extracts, to entirely
synthetic compounds manufactured in a laboratory.
Regardless of what they are composed of, toxins in
Nuclear Winter are all handled in the same manner: they
are all given a potency rating (POT) from 1-6 that
determines their strength, and an effect (which will be
given in that toxin’s description.) If a character fails
in a physique test against a toxin’s potency, then they
will succumb to that toxin’s effects. To resist, they
must score a number of hits equal to, or greater than,
the toxin’s potency.

E-Diseases
A disease in Nuclear Winter encompasses everything from
a naturally occurring contagion that may be present as a
result of poor sanitation, to an especially cultured
variant of a natural virus that may be integrated into a
biological weapon. In all cases, a disease is given a
virulence rating (VIR) from 1-6 that represents how
deadly it is to living organisms. This is also the
difficulty level of the physique statistic challenge that
a character must perform in order to resist its effects.
The individual descriptions of each disease will give
their virulence rating, as well as the effect they will
have should the victim fail to resist them.

F-Asphyxiation
Asphyxiation can occur in various ways, such as drowning
or inhaling noxious gases, but Nuclear Winter handles each
the same. If a character is prepared, they can take a
deep breath. If they are not prepared and the source of
the asphyxiation takes them by surprise, then they cannot
take a deep breath.
Characters can hold their breath for a number of combat
phases equal to their physique×10 if they are able to
prepare themselves. Characters can hold their breath for
a number of combat phases equal to their physique×5 if

35
they are not able to prepare themselves. If a character
is not able to get air after the period that they can
hold their breath for has expired, then they will fall
unconscious. Death will occur in a number of combat
phases equal to their physique score after this.

F-Falling
If a character is unprepared for a fall, then they will
have a greater chance of sustaining more damage from the
distance fallen than if they were prepared. To keep
things simple, armour does not reduce the damage
sustained from a fall.
The table below shows the number of damage dice that are
rolled dependant on the distance fallen, and whether the
character was prepared or not. When rolling for damage,
any die that comes up as a 0 or a – will indicate that
the falling character has sustained a single point of
damage.

36
 Distance Fallen Prepared Unprepared
3m - 1
4m 1 2
5m 2 3
6m 3 4
7m 4 5
8m 5 6
9m 6 7
10m 7 8
11m 8 9
12m 9 10
13m 10 11
14m 11 12
15m 12 13
16m 13 14
17m 14 15
18m 15 16
19m 16 Auto-Unconscious
20-25m Auto-Unconscious Auto-Unconscious
26-30m Auto-Unconscious Auto-Death*
31-35m Auto-Death* Auto-Death**
36+m Auto-Death** Auto-Death**

*Roll one die: if it comes up as a +, the character is

merely unconscious. Unconscious characters will regain
their senses in a number of minutes equal to 12 minus
their physique statistic’s numerical value.

37
G-Radiation

Exposure to radioactive fallout or materials will cause

characters to eventually become adversely affected. This
is represented in Nuclear Winter by Rads. Every time a
character is exposed to radioactivity, they must attempt
to resist its effects. This is done by undertaking a
challenge using the character’s physique statistic’s
numerical value, which is pitted against the strength of
the radioactive source (rated 1-6.) If the character
succeeds in the challenge, then they are unaffected by
that source. If they fail the challenge, then they will
receive a number of Rads equal to the difference between
the strength of the radioactive source, and the score
they achieved on their challenge dice.

If the amount of accumulated Rads exceeds a character’s

physique score, then they will become affected by
radiation sickness:-

 The first time the numerical value of a character’s

physique score is exceeded, they will be considered
to be permanently fatigued.

 The second time the numerical value of a

character’s physique score is exceeded they will
fall unconscious and die in a number of hours equal
to the numerical value of their physique score.

38
 Nuclear Derby
1-Statistics (page 41)

2-Modifications (page 44)

3-Combat (page 50)

4-Hazards (page 52)

39
1-Statistics

A-Type
Vehicles are split into categories that define their
general design. Other types of vehicle can be catered for
using the ones detailed in the table below as a
guideline:-

Type Size Wheels Passengers Weaponry Firepower

Cycle Tiny 2 2 Very 2-3
Light
Car Small 4 4-8 Light 4-6
Van Medium 4-6 8-16 Medium 6-9
Lorry Large 6-18 16-32 Heavy 8-12
Tank Huge - 2-4 Very 10-15
Heavy

Size-This refers to the general bulk and weight of the

vehicle.

Wheels-This refers to how many wheels the vehicle can

have, which can be arranged in various configurations.

Passengers-This refers to how many people the vehicle is

able to carry including both the driving area, as well as
any cargo space it may have.

Weaponry-This refers to the maximum size of any weapons

the vehicle may carry, as well as to the amount of armour
it may be plated with.

Firepower-This refers to the total points that may be

spent on all weaponry to arm a vehicle (see the
modifications chapter for details.)

40
B-Statistics
Just like player characters, vehicles also have
statistics that define various aspects of their
performance, both in, and out of combat:-

Chassis- This statistic defines how much structural

damage the vehicle can sustain before becoming
inoperable.

Manoeuvrability-This statistic represents how quickly the

vehicle can turn.

Speed-This statistic represents how fast the vehicle can

travel in a combat phase.

Acceleration/Deceleration-This statistic represents how

quickly the vehicle can speed up and slow down.

Vehicle Cost
Cycle $4.000+$100/chassis point
Car $8,000+$100/chassis point
Van $16,000+£100/chassis point
Lorry $32,000+$100/chassis point
Tank $160,000+$500/chassis point

41
 Type Chassis Manoeuvrability* Speed Acceleration/
Deceleration
Cycle 4-6 Minor Advantage 350- 250-350m
450m
Car 8-12 - 400- 200-300
500m
Van 12-18 - 300- 150-250
400m
Lorry 16-24 Minor 250- 100-200
Disadvantage 350m
Tank 20-30 Minor 200- 50-150
Disadvantage 300m

*The modifications shown in the above chart apply to the

driver’s drive skill whenever a drive skill challenge is
undertaken, or the vehicle attempts to dodge incoming
attacks.

42
2-Modifications
There are various modifications (“mods”) that can be
made to vehicles including the addition of weapons,
armour, defence systems, and improvements to the engine.
The amount of mods, and what type of mods, can be applied
to a vehicle, depend on its size and type.

A-Performance Mods

Mod Availability Cost

Advanced Braking All with the $50/chassis point
System exception of Very
Heavy
Fuel Injection Very Light, Light, $50/chassis point
Medium
Turbocharger Very Light, Light, $50/chassis point
Medium
Hydraulic All with the $100/chassis point
Suspension exception of Very
Heavy

Advanced Breaking System-This mod will enable a vehicle

to decelerate 50m more in a combat phase than it was able
to before it was modified.

Fuel Injection-This mod will enable a vehicle to

accelerate 50m more in a combat phase than it was able to
before it was modified.

Turbocharger-This mod will enable a vehicle to reach a

top speed 50m/combat phase more than it could before it
was modified.

Hydraulic Suspension-This mod will enable a vehicle to

treat terrain as if it were one category less severe than
what it actually is.

43
B-Weapons
Some weapons are just too big to fit on certain vehicles
and a vehicles size and design also limits the amount
that can be attached to it. In Nuclear Derby, every
weapon has a firepower rating that if fixed to a vehicle,
must be subtracted from that vehicles total firepower
score. A vehicle cannot have weapons that have a combined
firepower rating greater than its own.

The cost for the weapons listed in the table below

reflects not only any alterations that may have to be
made to fit the weapon to a vehicle, but also any
electronics that may have to be added to fire them
remotely, and the cost of fitting them.

A weapon can only be fitted to a vehicle if its type is

the same as, or lighter than, that vehicle.

Weapon Type Damage* Firepower Range Cost

Machine Very 2n 1 12m/240m/ $900
Gun Light 360m
Heavy Light 2n+2h 2 16m/320m/ $1,800
Machine 480m
Gun
Gatling Heavy 2n+4h 4 20m/400m/ $3,600
Gun 600m
Rocket Medium 3n+6h 5 25m/500m/ $5,400
Launcher 750m
Missile Heavy 4n+8h 6 30m/600m/ $8,100
Launcher 900m
Light Heavy 3n+6h 7 25m/500m/ $5,400
Cannon 750m
Heavy Very 4n+8h 8 30m/600m/ $8,100
Cannon Heavy 900m
Mines Light 2n 3 6m/-/- $900
Ram Varies Special 1 -/-/- $450

44
*’h’ stands for ‘hot’ dice. A hot dice is a hit that
counts as 2 points instead of 1.

Machine Gun-This is almost identical to a handheld

machine gun but adapted to fit on to a vehicle. It can be
mounted at an increased cost of 50% on light to very
heavy vehicles, as some major modifications may have to
be made to accommodate it.

Heavy Machine Gun-This is a larger and more powerful

version of the machine gun than one that is designed to
be held in the hands. It can be turret mounted at an
increased cost of 50% on light to very heavy vehicles, as
some major modifications may have to be made to
accommodate it.

Gatling Gun-This is the largest and most powerful machine

gun that can be fitted to a vehicle.

Rocket Launcher-This consists of a launch pipe, or

several launch pipes joined together, that is designed to
fire explosive projectiles.

Missile Launcher-This is similar in design to a rocket

launcher but is larger and capable of firing bigger
projectiles.

45
Light Cannon-This is a very large calibre gun that fires
explosive shells.

Heavy Cannon-This is similar in design to the light

cannon but is larger and capable of firing bigger shells.

Mines-These are weight sensitive explosives that are

dropped from out of the back of a moving vehicle.

Ram-This is a large, sturdy piece of metal fixed to the

front of a vehicle. The base damage dice are dependent on
the size of the vehicle they are attached to (see the
combat chapter.)

C-Armour
Armour for vehicles in Nuclear Derby takes the form of
metal plates that are either bolted or welded on to their
chassis. All vehicles, except cycles, provide those
inside them automatic protection, provided an attacker
does not manage to hit them through a weak or exposed
spot (see the combat chapter for details.)

A vehicle can only be modified with armour with a type

that is the same as or less than its weaponry type.

Type Cover* Protection***

Cycle 0% None
Car 50% 1n
Van 50% 1n
Lorry 50% 1n
Tank** 100% 6n

*This assumes that the target is either driving the

vehicle, or is a passenger in a place properly designated
for passengers. Cover will vary if the target is
occupying some other space in the vehicle: i.e. in the
boot of a car.

**Tanks cannot be modified with extra armour plating.

46
***A nudge can convert a hot dice to a normal hit. A
further nudge will render it a miss.

Armour will also slow a vehicle down and make it less

manoeuvrable.

Armour Protection Speed* Manoeuvrability Cost

Penalty
Very +1n 100% Minor disadvantage $50/
Light if same as chassis
firepower rating point
Light +2n 75% Minor Disadvantage $100/
if same as Chassis
firepower rating point
Medium +3n 75% Minor Disadvantage $150/
if same as Chassis
firepower rating point
Heavy +4n 50% Minor Disadvantage $200/
if same as Chassis
firepower rating point

*This applies to both the maximum speed of the vehicle as

well as its acceleration/deceleration rates.

D-Defences
Armour plating is not the only defensive trick a vehicle
can have up its proverbial sleeve: smoke screens and
blackjacks are also very effective.

47
 Defence System Type Cost
Smoke Screen Light $1,500
Blackjacks Light $1,000
Oil Slick Light $1,000

Smoke Screen-This mod fits a smoke generator to the back

of a vehicle that will put any pursuer at a minor
disadvantage to all attacks and manoeuvres while caught
in it. The area the smoke covers is 50mX25m. It
dissipates in 6 combat phases.

Blackjacks-These are small metal spikes that are designed

to always rest with a sharp point facing upwards that are
used for bursting a vehicle’s tyres. Any driver driving
their vehicle over blackjacks must undertake a drive
skill challenge to try and avoid them with a difficulty
of 4. If the challenge is failed, a die is rolled for
each of the vehicles tyres with a – indicating that one
has burst (for the effects of driving with burst tyres
see the hazards chapter.)

Oil Slick-This defence system is designed to cause a

pursuing vehicle to skid.

48
3-Combat
Only those combat rules that are different or new
compared to those found in Nuclear Winter will be
presented in this chapter.

A-Facing
If a weapon is not mounted on a turret then it can only
be fired in one direction which must be specified when it
is fitted to a vehicle. If a weapon is in a fixed
position, then in order to hit another moving vehicle an
opposed driving challenge must be undertaken. If the
attacking driver is the loser, then they are considered
to not have been able to manoeuvre their vehicle into a
firing position.

B-Attacking and Defending

When making an attack using a vehicle-mounted weapon,
the person making the attack must use the lower of their
drive skill and relevant weapon skill (usually their
ranged weapon skill.) Likewise, the defending driver of
such an attack must use the lower of their drive skill
and dodge skill.

C-Ramming
The amount of damage caused by a ram can be dependent on
the relative speeds of the vehicles involved. This is
only the case if the vehicle being rammed is rammed from
behind and is moving away from the shunting vehicle.
Damage is calculated using the following formula:-

Attacking vehicle’s size+ attacking vehicle’s speed-

defending vehicle’s speed (if moving away from the
attacking vehicle.)

49
 Vehicle Size Base Damage*
Very Light 4d
Light 5d
Medium 6d
Heavy 7d
Very Heavy 8d

*d=dice.

 A ram adds 2n damage.

 For every 50m of speed the attacking vehicle is
travelling at, add 1d. If 8d has been reached then
each 50m of speed will add 1h.

The ramming vehicle will also take damage but for each
point the driver has in the drive skill, they can roll
one dice with each + result reducing the damage their
vehicle takes by 1 point. A ram will also allow them two
nudges to further reduce this damage. Armour reduces
damage from rams in all cases to both the attacking and
defending vehicles.

Vehicles that hit people receive a minor advantage for

the calculation of damage only and take no damage from
the impact. Riders of cycles that ram either vehicles or
people will have to succeed in a drive skill challenge
with a difficulty of 1 for every 50m of speed they were
travelling at or fall off. Falling of a moving cycle will
do an amount of damage equal to 1d for every 50m of speed
it was travelling at; armour can reduce this.

50
4-Hazards
There are many dangers that a driver and their vehicle
can run into, apart from other driver’s vehicles.

A-Burst Tyres
Every burst tyre, or group of tyres in the case of a
heavy goods vehicle, will reduce a vehicle’s maximum
speed and its acceleration/deceleration rates by 50m.
This is increased to 100m per tyre in the case of a
cycle. All actions involving manoeuvring the vehicle in
some way will also be made more difficult: in the case of
a skill challenge, all difficulty levels will be
increased by 1 for every burst tyre or group of tyres
(maximum penalty of 2.) This is increased to 2 per tyre
in the case of a cycle. All attacks made by fixed weapons
will be at a minor disadvantage if any tyre/group of
tyres is burst; this is only applicable to the attack
roll, not the damage calculation.

B-Collisions
Vehicles that hit solid objects other than other cars
will take and deal damage based on the material of the
object struck: the President will have to decide the
amount of damage dealt based on the type, thickness and
size of this material. As a rough guide, this should
range from 4-8d. Damage is calculated in exactly the same
way as an ordinary ram (see the combat chapter.)

C-Skidding
Any time that a vehicle passes over an amount of a
slippery substance that the President deems enough to
cause it a problem, the driver of that vehicle must
undertake a drive skill challenge with failure indicating
that they have lost control of their vehicle. The vehicle
will move in a random direction (except backwards) a
total distance equal to 10% of its current speed.

51
D-Falling
To calculate damage to a falling vehicle and those
inside it, use the following formula:-

Vehicles take an amount of damage equal to double the

listed damage on the falling table for an unprepared fall
as shown in the Nuclear Winter rulebook; armour will
reduce this.

Characters inside a falling vehicle take damage as if

the fall was prepared. To calculate the amount of damage
dice, double the distance fallen amounts in the table.

52
Nuclear Winter Beta Release Version 1.01

www.nuclearwinterrpg.com

53
Hell Freezes Over

54