COLONIES

BUILDING A BETTER ZONE — VERSION 1

PLACE IMAGE HERE

A set of rules for colonizing the Zone and managing the Ark even more.

by Stéphane Van Cauwenberghe

(Stefouch)

© 2020 Stefouch Gaming Lab

 COLONIES

AUTHOR
Stéphane “Stefouch” Van Cauwenberghe

COVER ART
Oregon City on the Willamette River (John Mix Stanley, 1852)

PREFACE
Thank you for your support!
By acquiring this document, you prove that this work is appreciated and worth improving.

CO Please, don’t hesitate to share your feedback.

You can reach me under the following social platforms:
Twitter: twitter.com/stefouch
Facebook: facebook.com/stefouch
Reddit: u/Stefouch
Discord: Stefouch#5202 on the Year Zero Worlds server
Website: stefouch.be

Many thanks to Jeremy Mettler, Joe Guilmette, Matt Kay, Dale Chenault, Narcomed and all my other
patrons and generous donators who are supporting these projects and are making them possible!

SEE ALSO
Mass Combat. A set of rules for managing attacks against the Ark and military campaigns in the Zone.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/304293

Sebedius. A Discord bot with command utilities for several Year Zero games.
https://github.com/Stefouch/sebedius-myz-discord-bot

Find My Path. A web application for managing the map of the Zone.
CO
https://stefouch.github.io/myz-zonemap

© 2019 Cabinet Licensing LLC. MUTANT and related logos, characters, names, and distinctive likenesses thereof
are trademarks of Cabinet Licensing LLC unless otherwise noted. Used with permission under the Community Content
Agreement for Free League Workshop. All rights reserved.

All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by Stefouch Gaming Lab and published under the
Community Content Agreement for Free League Workshop.

ii
 COLONIES

1
THE ARK EXPANDED

CO 8
FACTIONS

11
TRADING WITH OTHER ARKS

15
COLONIZING THE ZONE
CO

19
NEW ARK PROJECTS & TALENTS

iii
 COLONIES

THE ARK EXPANDED

Now an Ark has a Size, a Stability score, a Growth
Rate, a Happiness status and its Battle Level
calculation has been revised. The GM is
responsible for keeping track of all these
parameters for the Ark between each game
New Game: When starting a new game of Mutant:
Year Zero, an Ark should begin at Size 2 with 200
population.
Small Community: A settlement with less than 25

CO session.
This new layer of complexity adds more
crunch to your Mutant: Year Zero game. The main
population is Size 0 and cannot be considered an
Ark.

purpose is to provide more utilities and tough

choices to the existing Ark projects, as several of
them will now bring modifiers to these above
parameters.
SIZE
The Ark size is an approximate measure of its
population level. It influences its defense
capabilities, food consumption and resources
production.
DEVELOPMENT TIERS
The four Development Levels (DEV, see Mutant:
Year Zero, page 100) are Food Supply, Culture,
Technology and Warfare. They have a rating
between 0 and 100.
For simplicity, we are referring to DEV tiers in
this document. A DEV Tier is equal to its rating
divided by 10, rounded down.
Example: An Ark with a Food Supply DEV rating
of 39 has a Food Supply DEV tier of 3.

MINIMUM POPULATION SIZE

25

100

250
1

3
CO
500 4

1000 5

2500 6

5000 7

10.000 8

25.000 9

100.000 10

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 COLONIES

HAPPINESS
The Ark’s population is either Happy or
Discontent. Watching the happiness of the
inhabitants of the Ark leads to better stability. To
be Happy, the population of the Ark requires an
amount of a (happy faces) equal to the Size of the
Ark, otherwise it will be Discontent.
The following Ark projects each generates a
(one happy face):
K Temple
STABILITY
The Stability of an Ark, as implied, is the marker
of how stable the Ark is. It has an impact on the
strength of the Ark’s defenses and the Session
Body Count.
Arks with extraordinarily low stability for an
extended period of time are prone to becoming
decivilized and thus falling out of control.
The Stability score of an Ark starts at 5 and is
ranged between 0 and 10.

CO
K Zone Wrestling
K Tavern
K Theater STABILITY
K Annual Rites (see Mutant: Genlab Alpha) Base level: 5, Min: 0, Max: 10.
K Arena (see Mutant: Mechatron)
SCORE DESCRIPTION
K Brothel (see page 19)
Unstable. The Ark is overwhelmed by major crises
and civilization is about to collapse. The
The Elder also generates a as long as he’s alive. 1 or less
inhabitants are fleeing the sinking ship and prefer
to try their luck out in the Zone.
The following Ark projects each increases by one Precarious. The Ark is facing a few crises and the
2–4
the amount of a required to content de People are prone to unrest and chaos.

population: Erratic. The People feel rather safe in their Ark.

Despite the small troubles that disturb their life, they
5–7
consider this place as their only hope to survive the
K Cannibalism dangers of the Zone.
K Slave Market Stable. The Ark is a strong and secure haven where
K Surveillance 8–10 crises are far behind. The mutants feel safe and
K Autocracy strive together for enhancing their community.

K Collectivism

HAPPINESS MODIFIERS
HAPPY
+1 Stability
+2 modification to Stabilize
Increases the Growth Rate
(read more on page 6)
At the beginning of the game, the players will face
an extremely low Stability score. They’ll need to
CO
spend resources and actions towards increasing
DISCONTENT
that score quickly or the Ark will faces many
−1 Stability
crises.
+2 modification to
destabilizing actions
+2 to the Stability Crisis roll STABILITY INFLUENCING FACTORS
Many factors affect a colony’s Stability: DEV
Levels, population's Happiness, water access, the
Elder’s presence, the Ark’s ruler, etc.

2
 COLONIES

DEVELOPMENT LEVELS PROJECTS

Increasing the DEVs tiers of an Ark is an excellent The following Ark Projects give additional Stability
way to enhance its Stability. Low Food Supply and modifiers:
Culture DEVs tiers can cause negative Stability.
Autocracy, Suffrage, Radio +1
DEV TIER 0 1 2 3 4 5+
Heliograph, Road, Train +1 to each linked Ark
Food Supply Variable*
Collectivism +3
Culture −2 −1 0 +1 +2 +3
Free Enterprise −3 (but has other advantages)
Tech 0 0 0 0 +1 +1
MUTANT: ELYSIUM
Warfare 0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3

CO
Code of Law, Empire +1
* The Food Supply DEV gives a Stability modifier Couriers +1 to each linked Ark
equal to its Tier minus the Size of the Ark. It can go
negative or positive, but cannot excess +1.
RULING BOSS
The Boss with the most affiliated members is
CLEAN WATER considered the ruler of the Ark. According to their
How the People have access to Rot-free water behavior type, they give variable Stability and Battle
influences the stability of the Ark. The access may Level modifiers (see table on page 10).
vary over time, like during periods of drought.

No water access at all −3 DECIVILIZED

Water is scarce −1 An Ark can become “DECIVILIZED,” which indicates
that civil unrest and chaos are taking over. This
Water is sufficient +0
statement causes a −2 Stability and increases the
Water is plentiful +1 Session Body Count (see Mutant: Year Zero, page
115) by one D6 until it’s removed. Multiple
THE ELDER DECIVILIZED statements are redundant.

An Elder helps greatly for the stability of the Ark.

OTHER TEMPORARY FACTORS
Healthy Elder +2

CO
The Ark has more unaffiliated mutants than
Sick Elder +1 −1
affiliated ones.
Dead Elder −1 (temporary, for 1 month)
The Ark is at war with another faction
−1 to −3
No Elder +0 (ghouls/helldrivers/another ark).

The Ark has been raided or lost a recent battle. −2

HAPPINESS Civil war broke out between the Ark’s bosses. −3
A happy population leads to better stability, and A threat against the Ark was recently solved. +1
vice-versa.
Any other factor the GM deems important. +1/−1
Happy population +1

Discontent population −1

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 COLONIES

STABILIZE STABILITY CHECK

Any PCs, or even the Elder or a NPC Boss, may try
to stabilize the situation in the Ark. Doing so
requires a few hours of work and a successful
COMMAND roll, or a MANIPULATE roll modified
by −2. Other players may help. Stabilizing an Ark
can only be done once per session and replace the
opportunity to work on an Ark project for all
involved players.
Failure: Your efforts did nothing to improve the
situation.
At the end of each game session, after the Session
Body Count, if more people in the Ark died during
this session than the current value of the Stability
score, a Stability Check is called. (Inhabitants who
died in the Zone far from the Ark don’t count.)
Roll a number of Base Dice equal to the
Stability score. This roll cannot be pushed. If the
roll fails, a Stability Crisis occurs (roll on the table
on the next page to determine the crisis).
Stable Ark: Arks with high stability are less prone

CO Success: You grant a temporary +1 Stability until

the end of the next session.
to crises. If the Stability score of the Ark is 8 or
more, skip the end of game session’s Stability
Check.

Stunts: For every extra ☢ you roll beyond the
first, you get to choose one stunt. Each stunt can
be chosen multiple times:
K You grant an additional +1 Stability.
K You end the effects of a Stability Crisis, e.g.:
 You end all Stability maluses from
Unstable Rabble crises.
 You end any DECIVILIZED statement.
 You end an ongoing Civil War.
Threats Against the Ark: If the end of game
session’s Stability Check has failed, the players
may choose to draw a new Threat Against the Ark
instead of applying the consequences. That choice
must be done before rolling for a crisis, and with
the GM’s approval.

DESTABILIZING
Instead you may destabilize the situation in an
Ark. This can prove useful to decrease the
Stability of an opposing Ark if you achieved to
infiltrate it. The roll is the same, but negatively
modified by the Size of the challenged Ark.

Failure: Someone is not pleased with what you try

CO
to achieve and warns the bosses of the Ark.

Success: You cause a temporary −1 Stability until

the end of the next session.

Stunts: For every extra ☢ you roll beyond the

first, you get to choose one stunt. Each stunt can
only be chosen once per roll:
K You cause an additional −1 Stability.
K You trigger a Stability Check right now.

4
 COLONIES

BATTLE LEVEL (REVISED)

STABILITY CRISIS The Battle Level is now calculated as below. Its
value cannot be lower than the Ark Size:
Roll 2D6 on the following table to determine the
crisis. If the population is Discontent, add +2 to the
result. 𝐵𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝐿𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙 = 𝐴𝑟𝑘 𝑆𝑖𝑧𝑒 + 𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝐷𝐸𝑉 𝑇𝑖𝑒𝑟 +
𝐵𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑟 + 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑟
2D6 CRISIS

Civil Unrest. The Ark becomes DECIVILIZED (see page 3) K Warfare DEV Tier: A DEV Tier is equal to its
3 or
and its population is immediately decreased by
less rating divided by 10, rounded down.
another 2D6.

Unstable Rabble. The Ark gets a temporary −1

K Boss Modifier: Read more on page 10.
4–5 Stability until the situation is stabilized. (Multiple K Stability Modifier: The Battle Level is

CO
Unstable Rabble are cumulative.) modified by the Stability score according to
Distrust. The People are reconsidering their the following ratio:
allegiance. Each faction in the Ark loses 1D6+2
6–7
affiliated members minus their Influence rating. (They
become unaffiliated. Read more on page 8.) Stability 0 1 2 3 4

Disgust & Distrust. Same as above, but each faction Battle Modifier −5 −4 −3 −2 −1
8–9
loses 2D6+2 affiliated members instead.

Hopeless. The People are deserting the sinking ship. Stability 5 6 7 8 9 10

Immediately decrease the Ark population by another
Battle Modifier 0 0 0 +1 +2 +3
10 3D6. If sixteen or more people left this way, they
create a new independent settlement a few sectors
away.
K Other modifiers to the Battle Level:
Coup. One of the NPC bosses (chosen at random) is  The PCs are present in the Ark: +1
killed among D6 of their affiliated members. Their
faction is dismantled and a new one is created from  The Ark is battle-ready: +1
11
the remains with a new Boss and half affiliated  The Ark has colonies within five Zone
members, rounded down. The remaining members
sectors: +1 per each settlement
become unaffiliated.

Civil War. One of the bosses has had enough of their

peers and starts an open conflict. A random Ark
Example: A battle-ready (+1) Ark with Size 2, a
project is immediately destroyed during the fight Warfare DEV rating of 16 (+1), a ruling Despot boss
12+ (decrease the related DEV rating accordingly) and (+1) and a Stability of 5 (+0), has a Battle Level of 5.
each faction loses one member in the fight for each
level of their Influence rating. The Ark gets a −3
Stability until the situation is stabilized.

When decreasing the population, try to remove

CO
CUSTOM MASS COMBAT
affiliated and unaffiliated people evenly.
If you are using my custom Mass Combat rules (see
If a faction ends with two or less affiliated members,
page ii), instead refer to the table below:
it vanishes. The GM decides the fate of its boss.
K BATTLE DICE O STRATEGY DICE G SUPPORT DICE

+ Ark Size + Warfare DEV Tier (Varying.)

+ Battle-ready + Boss Modifier
+ Stability Modifier

5
 COLONIES

The Ark’s population grows as dictated by the

SPOILING CONTENT
This page has some details about the the main
metaplot described in the Mutant: Year Zero core
rulebook. If you are not the GM, skip reading these
two pages and don’t spoil yourself.
Growth Rate. This value is modified by a variety of
factors, and can even go negative. A negative
growth rate will cause the Ark’s population to
decrease steadily.
NUMBER OF INHABITANTS
When you roll to determine the Session Body
Count at the end of each game session (see
Mutant: Year Zero, page 115), if the Growth Rate is

GROWTH RATE positive, also roll a die to determine how many

people are born or have moved into the Ark. This

CO
The Mutants are sterile and the Ark’s population roll is made with a D6, modified by the current
will steadily decrease over time. The People are Growth Rate. See the table below.
doomed unless a solution is found. The
population can actually increase when outsiders
are welcomed and settle in the Ark. The mutants’
infertility can also be fixed, which results in GROWTH RATE EFFECTS ON POPULATION CHANGE
pregnant female Mutants and the birth of new
SESSION BORN/
children. GROWTH RATE BODY COUNT* SETTLED IN

−10 or less Highest of 2D6 —

−9 to 0 D6+1 —

GROWTH RATE MODIFIERS 1–4 D6 D6−3

5–9 D6 D6
Infertility −10 as long as the mutants are still sterile.
10–14 D6 D6+1
Instability −1 per Stability point below 10.
15–19 D6 Highest of 2D6
−1 per Stability penalties caused by Water and
Shortages
Food shortages. 20+ D6 2D6

+X equal to the Size of the Ark. * The Session Body Count can be decreased when
Colonies’ +X equal to the Size of the largest non-
the Ark’s Food Supply DEV rating increases (see
Sizes hostile/allied settlement in the Zone within 5

CO
sectors. Mutant: Year Zero, page 100).

−3 per adjacent Zone sector with a Rot Level

greater than 1.
Hazards
+3 per adjacent Zone sector with a null Rot
Level (Rot Oasis).
Affiliation: Dead Mutants from the Session Body
+1 per a (happy face). This bonus cannot
Happiness exceed the Ark Size and is nullified if the Count are first removed from the unaffiliated
population is Discontent. subpopulation. Read more about this in the next
Nursery: +3 Cannibalism: −4 chapter.
Marketplace: +2 Slave Market: −2
Projects Harbor: +2
Tavern: +1
Brothel: +1

6
 COLONIES
POPULATION LIMIT
The current Development Tier in Food Supply (i.e.
the DEV rating divided by 10, rounded down) sets
a limit for how large an Ark can get. The
population cannot increase if it would cause the
Ark Size to be greater than the Food Supply DEV
Tier.
Note that the limit is per Ark – by establishing
multiple colonies (as projects), an Ark can
accommodate more residents. Robots do not
count towards the population limit.
CO LARGE ARKS
When the population in the Ark rises over 500
(Size 4), roll for the Session Body Count once per
month (in game time) instead of after each game
session. Also, the dice result shows the percentage
change instead of the actual number of persons.
Round to the nearest integer.
7
Example: The players’ Ark consists of 497 brave
inhabitants (Size 3) – a mix of humans, mutants,
animals, and robots. The Current Development
Level in Food Supply is 44 and the Growth Rate
is 12.
The game session is over and the group rolls
for the session body count and newcomers. The first
roll is a 4 and the other a 5. This means that one
person dies (4− 3) and six people are added (5 + 1).
The population thus increases by five individuals
to 502.
The society now counts as big as Size 4, and
the next population roll is made after a month of
game time. The Development Level in Food Supply
is unchanged.
The group now rolls a 5 and a 3, which means
that 2 percent of the population dies, but it is
increased by 4 percent due to births and new
settlers – overall an increase of 2 percent. 2 percent
equals eight persons, meaning the population rises
to 410.
CO
 COLONIES
FACTIONS
Each Boss is at the top of their own faction. They
actively try to influence and recruit new members
among the population of the Ark to expand the
reach of their faction.
CO AFFILIATED MEMBERS
Each Boss has a variable number of affiliated
members among the population of the Ark. These
followers have abode to their Boss’s doctrine or
are forced in some ways to obey him. They work
and fight for him. Together, they form a faction.
Unaffiliated: Non-affiliated mutants are
considered factionless and are bit by bit recruited
by the bosses after each game session.
Slaves: Slaves are considered affiliated.
New Game: When starting a new game of Mutant:
Year Zero, an Ark should begin with up to three
bosses that together share around 50-60% of the
population (all ratios are at the GM’s discretion)
and an Elder followed by about ten-to-twenty
chroniclers.
unaffiliated.
The remaining People are
INFLUENCE
The Influence (Infl.) of a faction is a score that
indicates how strong the faction is at recruiting
new members and keeping its existing ones
during the Recruitment Phase.
For Bosses and Officers, their Influence value
is equal to 1 plus their COMMAND skill rating. For
other characters who don’t have this specialist
8
skill, use the MANIPULATE skill rating minus 2
instead. See also the table on page 10.
INFLUENCING
Once per session, any PCs may influence the
population of the Ark for an allied Boss of their
choice. Doing so requires a few hours of work and
a successful COMMAND or MANIPULATE roll. Other
players may help. Any ☢ rolled grants a +1
Influence to the chosen Boss for the next
Recruitment Phase. But if the roll failed, that Boss
gets a −1 Influence instead.
RECRUITMENT PHASE
At the end of each game session, after the Session
Body Count, there is a Recruitment Phase.
During this phase, each faction rolls a number
of Base Dice equal to their Influence rating.
Each ☢ rolled means that a new member joined
their ranks. If the roll failed, instead the faction
loses two members (they become unaffiliated).
Start with the faction with the highest Influence
(in case of a tie, choose the faction with the
highest number of affiliated members).
If there are no more unaffiliated inhabitants
CO
left to recruit, the factions can’t gain new
members.
Minimum Affiliated: A faction cannot lose their
affiliated members this way if it would reduce
their number below twice their Influence rating.
Stability Crisis: The Recruitment Phase is
skipped if a Stability Crisis #11 (Coup) or #12
(Civil War) occurred during this session.
 COLONIES

RULING BOSS Requirements: Civil Wars can’t be started as long

At the start of a new game of Mutant: Year Zero,
the Boss with the most affiliated members is
considered the ruler of the Ark. If the numbers are
tied, the GM chooses which one is the ruler.
During the course of the game, if another Boss
has at least 20 affiliated members more than the
ruling Boss after the Recruitment Phase, that Boss
pacifically becomes the new ruler.
Alliance: Several Bosses can forge an alliance to
as the Elder is alive.
Instability: Starting a Civil War causes a −3
Stability to the Ark until the situation is stabilized
(not when the conflict is over).
Neutrality: Factions that don’t want to participate
in the conflict may stay neutral.
RESOLUTION
When the conflict starts, each side rolls a number

CO
gather the largest number of affiliated members. of Base Dice equal to its Battle Level. Every ☢
In this case, the ruling Boss is chosen from the means that something goes right for this faction –
faction with the most members among the it advances, a key position is taken, enemies are
alliance. killed. All players and the GM should cooperate to
describe the scenes of battle. Every ☣ rolled
means that the force suffers losses and loses
CIVIL WAR morale – its Battle Level is reduced one step.
When both sides have rolled, you can each
It’s possible to overthrow by force the current
settle or you can push your roll – reroll all dice
ruler of the Ark. To do so, you need to start a Civil
that don’t show ☢ or ☣. You can push the roll any
War, a large-scale open conflict at the Ark
number of times you like – irrespective of whether
between two or more bosses, or alliances of
the enemy force pushes its roll or not.
bosses. Such an extreme solution is devastating
Keep this up until neither side can or wants to
for the Ark. The population will decrease by a
push its roll any more. The difference in the
large factor and several projects might be
amounts of ☢ by which the factions achieved (or
destroyed in the process.
failed) their roll determines how decisive the
A Civil War uses the rules for Attacks against
victory is.
the Ark found on page 114 of Mutant: Year Zero. It
The winning side inflicts 2D6 losses to its
can also be resolved with the custom Mass
opponent for each ☢ it has in excess. If the
Combat rules.
The Battle Level of each faction or alliance is
equal to one tenth of their affiliated members,
margin of victory is equal to two or more
successes, one project in the Ark is destroyed (the
GM decides which). In case of a tie, each side
CO
rounded down.
suffers 1D6 losses instead.
The Battle Level of the ruler is then further
increased by one. If you use the custom Mass
Combat rules, instead he gains O (one Strategy
Die).

9
 COLONIES

CONCLUSION
After the battle, the belligerents can continue the
conflict, or the one with the lowest members count
may surrender. If one side ends with a Battle Level
at 0, they automatically surrender.
ARK MODIFIERS FROM BOSSES
The Boss with the most affiliated members grants
the following bonuses to the Ark. See the table
below at the bottom of this page.

K Continue: The conflict goes on and another
round is started. Adjust each faction’s Battle
Level according to the suffered losses and the
☣ rolled.
K Surrender: The conflict ends. The winners
steal 2D6 members from the losing side.
Boss & Projects: Some Boss types have additional
special effects when a specific Ark project is
completed. The GM may use that information as a
clue for which projects could be started when the
players are outside the Ark.

CO A new ruler of the Ark is chosen among the

winners.

STABILITY BATTLE LEVEL

2D6 BOSS TYPE MODIFIER MODIFIER INFLUENCE SPECIAL

2 Agitator −1 0 7 If not the Ruler, randomly tries to destabilize

the situation in the Ark.

3 Bureaucrat +3 −1 5 —

4 Collector +2 +1 4 Owns D6 artifacts.

5 Commander +1 +2 3 Militia: +1 Influence.

Army: +1 Influence.

6 Cultist +1 0 5 Temple: +1 Influence and grants one extra a

(happy face).

7–8

9
Despot

Hard Worker
+1

+2
+1

0
5

4
—

Once per session, grants a +3 modification for

working on a project.
CO
10 Kingpin 0 +1 5 Slave Market: +1 Influence, +1 Stability.

11–12 Revolutionary +1 0 6 —

— Elder +2 0 6 —

— PC Boss 0* 0* ** —

* PC’s Stability and Battle Level modifiers may be upgraded with new talents (see page 21).
** PC’s Influence = 1 + ( COMMAND skill rating ) or ( MANIPULATE skill rating −2 )

When you create a new Boss for the Ark, you can roll 2D6 on the table or choose.

10
 COLONIES
TRADING
WITH OTHER ARKS
CO Completing a Marketplace or Harbor project
allows the Ark to trade commodities in excess
with other colonies and factions in the Zone. The
main purpose is to increase the Wealth of the Ark,
and use that Wealth to unlock extra Benefits.
WEALTH
The Wealth of an Ark is a marker of its prosperity
and the richness of its inhabitants. A negative
Wealth rating indicates a very pauper population
that struggles to survive in the Ark, while a
positive rating suggests that more and more of its
inhabitants possess enough resources for a
comfortable life. Wealth can be spent to patch the
Ark’s weaknesses with the help of trading. Pay
attention that a high Wealth rating may also lead
to envy and jealousy from other factions in the
Zone.
The base Wealth of an Ark is equal to 0. This
rating is decreased by resources shortages, thus
by one for each DEV Tier below the Ark Size.
Example: Consider an Ark with Size 2 and DEV
ratings 3, 0, 0, and 9 respectively in Food Supply,
Culture, Tech and Warfare. All the Ark’s DEV Tiers
are therefore at 0, which cause four times a −2
modifier to the Wealth. Consequently, the base
Wealth rating of the Ark is −8.
11
Collectivism & Free Enterprise:
The Collectivism project causes a −3 Wealth
malus and Free Enterprise grants a +3.
ACQUIRING WEALTH
To increase the Ark’s Wealth, you need a
completed Marketplace or Harbor project and
contacts with a faction in the Zone, usually
friendly, who accepts to trade with your Ark. The
trading faction can be a colony, another Ark,
Helldrivers, lone traders, or even Zone ghouls.
The excess of commodities can then be
exported and are automatically converted into
Wealth, which can be used by the players during
an Assembly (at the start of every session, see
Mutant: Year Zero, page 103) to unlock Wealth
CO
Benefits.
Project: Each commodity needs one or more
specific projects. Without it, the commodity
cannot be produced in excess for export.
Wealth: Each commodity has a market value that
contributes to the Wealth of the Ark, usually tied
to the DEV Tiers or the Size of the Ark. If the DEV
Level is too low, the resource cannot be produced
in excess for export.
 COLONIES
Bullets: Selling bullets won’t contribute to
increase the Wealth of an Ark since they are the
main currency used for most commercial
transactions. Selling bullets in excess will deflate
their value and cause a Wealth drop.
COMMODITIES
KFOOD
The Ark produces even more food and sells it.
Projects: At least two of the following —
CO
Cropland, Pigsty, Stables, Cannibalism,
Greenhouses (see Mutant: GenLab Alpha,
page 232)
Wealth: 1 × Food Supply DEV Tier minus
the Ark Size
K CLEAN WATER
Selling clean water is usually not lucrative,
because the People prefer to drink water from
contaminated ponds in the Zone than bankrupt
themselves by buying clean water.
Project: —
Other Requirement: The access to clean water
must be plentiful.
Wealth: 2 – but twice or thrice as much during a
period of drought, provided the access to
clean water doesn’t change for the Ark.
K BOOZE
Alcoholic drinks that the Gearheads brew from
plants that they grow or find in the Zone. Useful to
dull your senses when you are screaming in pain,
when the hunger tears at your guts or when
shivering in fear (see Mutant: Year Zero, page 93).
Project: Distillery
Wealth: 2 × Ark Size
12
K OIL
A natural yellowish-black liquid consisting of
hydrocarbons and miscellaneous organic
compounds. This rare, viscous and stinking liquid
was prized by the Ancients and now by the
Helldrivers. Four times as much effective than
booze when used as fuel.
Project: Drilling Rig (see page 19) with an oil
source.
Wealth: 6 per Oil Drilling Rig
K ORE
Natural rock or sediment that contains one or
more valuable minerals, typically metals, that can
be mined, treated and sold at a profit. Ore is
extracted from the earth through mining and
treated or refined, often via smelting, to extract
the valuable metals or minerals.
Project: Mine (see Mutant: Mechatron, page 230)
Wealth: 1 × Ark Size
K SCRAP
The Zone is littered by broken things called scrap.
Scrap has no practical function for most mutants,
but can be of some value and can give you
understanding of the Old Age.
Project: Workshop
Other Requirement: Access to a nearby large
source of scrap (e.g. a Scrapyard) within five
Zone sectors away.
Wealth: 2 per Scrapyard/source of scrap
K SLAVES
Selling excess slaves to other factions in the Zone
CO
increases the Session Body Count by another D6,
unless the People captured some slaves in the
Zone during this session.
Project: Slave Market
Other Requirement: Both the Ark and the trading
faction must have allowed slavery.
Wealth: 2 × Ark Size
 COLONIES
K MANUFACTURED GOODS
Items and gears manufactured from scrap of the
Old Age.
Project: Foundry, Factory (see Mutant:
Mechatron, page 230), or Industry (see
Mutant: Elysium, page 253).
Wealth: Take the highest value —
 Foundry: 1 × Ark Size
 Factory: 2 × Ark Size
 Industry: 3 × Ark Size
K HEAVY ARMAMENTS
CO The combination of a Workshop, an Arsenal and
an Explosives Lab allows the Ark to produce
bigger weapons. Selling Heavy Armaments also
greatly improves the Warfare DEV rating of NPC
factions who purchase them.
Projects: Workshop with Arsenal and
Explosives Lab
Wealth: 4 × Warfare DEV Tier minus the Ark Size
K ARTIFACTS
Selling artifacts found in the Zone is very
lucrative. But this activity is incompatible with a
Dawn Vault.
Project: This special commodity requires at least
one ongoing Zone Expedition for Technology
at all time, or a completed Industry project
(see Mutant: Elysium, page 253).
Other Requirement: The Dawn Vault’s activity
must be closed.
Wealth: 5
WEALTH BENEFITS
The Ark gets $ (one wealth point) for each excess
Wealth it has above 0. The players may use these
points during an Assembly to unlock Wealth
Benefits. The benefits are effective for as long as
the trade route stays active and isn’t disrupted by
pillagers, or until the Assembly decides
differently.
13
K CULTURAL EXCHANGE
Both the Ark and the trading faction have interest
in the culture of the other. All Culture DEV
bonuses acquired by those Arks are increased by
one while this benefit is active.
Cost: $$$
K GROWTH INCENTIVES
Financial injection to promote the growth of the
population. Increases the Growth Rate by a
number equal to the Ark Size. (This benefit doesn’t
need a trading partner.)
Cost: $$$ × Ark Size
K IMPORT GRUB
The Ark imports more food from other factions in
the Zone. If the Food Supply DEV rating of the
Ark is less than 30, this benefit grants +1 Stability,
doubles the quantity of food purchased for one
bullet, and decreases the Session Body Count by
one. Has no effect if the DEV rating is 30 or
greater. This benefit can be selected multiple
times.
Requirement: The trading faction must have a
higher Food Supply DEV rating.
Cost: $ × Ark Size
K IMPORT CLEAN WATER
Increases the access to water by one step from null
to scarce, or scarce to sufficient, or sufficient to
plentiful, which increases the Stability of the Ark
accordingly (see page 2). This benefit can be
selected up to twice.
Cost: $ × Ark Size
CO
K IMPORT TECH
The Ark imports more artifacts from other
factions in the Zone. All Tech DEV bonuses
acquired by the Ark are increased by one while
this benefit is active.
Requirement: The trading faction must have a
higher Technology DEV rating.
Cost: $$ × Ark Size
 COLONIES

K IMPORT WEAPONS K SLAVERY INCENTIVES

The Ark imports more weapons, ammunitions and
other warfare materials. Increases the Battle Level
of the Ark by one.
Requirement: The trading faction must have a
higher Warfare DEV rating.
Cost: $$$$$ × Ark Size
K IMPORT DOMESTIC GOODS
These are clothing, gadgets, wares, and goods that
enable the People to live a comfortable life.
Increases Happiness by a (one happy face).
Acquisition of a sheer amount of slaves and
grunts, which are a cheap workforce. All Ark
projects require one Work Point less to complete
while this benefit is active, but it reduces at the
same time the Stability of the Ark by one.
Required Project: Slave Market
Other Requirement: Both the Ark and the trading
faction must have allowed slavery.
Cost: $$$$$$ (six)

CO Cost: $$ × Ark Size

K IMPORT DRUGS
Helps the People to forget that they live in a dark
and grim doomed existence. Increases Happiness
by aa (two happy faces) but reduces the
Stability of the Ark by one.
Cost: $$$ × Ark Size

K MIDDLE CLASS
Creates a middle class among the People. These
inhabitants are more educated and less prone to
rebellion, which grants the Ark a +1 Stability and
gives the players a +2 modification when they roll
to Stabilize the situation. (This benefit doesn’t
need a trading partner.)
Required Project: School
Cost: $$$ × Ark Size

KSCRAP BUYOUT
Grants access to a lot more scrap for the
Gearheads, which halves the price of all
CO
manufactured objects at the Ark.
Cost: $$

14
 COLONIES
COLONIZING THE ZONE
The Colony project replaces the Mutant: Year
Zero vanilla Settlement project:
K COLONY
The People find a new spot to live and establish a
CO new colony in a different sector. When the colony
is complete, decide how many of the Ark’s
inhabitants move there, but at least 25 of them are
needed to found the new colony.
DEV Requirement: Warfare 20, Culture 20
Other Requirements: The new colony must be
located in a Rot-Oasis sector explored by the
PCs or a Zone Expedition (see Mutant: Year
Zero, Chapter 8), and not adjacent to another
settlement.
Skills: Endure
Work Points: 3 × number of PCs
DEV Bonus: —
Special: The new colony will have its own DEV
ratings, and will start with the same
Development Levels as the Ark that is part of
it. New projects are undertaken in the new
colony, separately from the Ark. Some
projects, such as the Road, Heliograph and
Railroad, connect two settlements. They give
their bonuses to both settlements when
completed. The new colony will also have its
own Size, Stability, Happiness and Battle
Level ratings.
15
ADVANTAGES
Colonies offer many advantages: increased
dominance in the Zone, possibility of joint
projects that grant bonuses to each connected
settlement, stable trading partners to increase the
Wealth of each side, safe outpost for the PCs when
they roam in the Zone, etc.
Finding the right sector where to build a
colony is crucial and can be difficult. Is it a
strategic position? Does it have some special
resources (see below)? Is it a Rot Oasis sector or
does it need some Decontamination Procedures
(new project, read more about it in the next
chapter) prior to its colonization?
PROSPECTION
Certain Zone sectors may contain hidden
resources large enough to provide a substantial
bonus to the Ark.
With a successful KNOW THE ZONE roll and
four hours of work, a player is able to prospect an
CO
explored sector and find some useful resource for
the colony, if any. Roll a D66 on table below to see
the prospection outcome.
Prospecting Kit: A small set of tools and
chemical reagents used for geological analysis of
a sector. The kit grants a Gear Bonus +2 for
prospecting. Purchasable at the Ark for a cost
between 3 to 6 bullets when the Technology DEV
rating reached 25.
 COLONIES

K FERTILE GROUND
The soil of this sector is incredibly fertile. Doubles
PROSPECTION TABLE the Food Supply DEV bonuses from the
Roll a D66 on the following table to determine the completion of the Cropland and Greenhouses (see
prospection outcome. Mutant: Genlab Alpha, page 232) projects.
Doubles also the Wealth obtained from selling the
D66 OUTCOME
Food commodity (see page 12).
11–16 Barren + Zone Prospection Trap

21–36 Barren K IMMACULATE GREEN SPACE

41 Loot Cache — a large stock of grub and/or water. Hidden in the middle of ruined buildings, a small
42–43 Ore Deposits greenish area is lying relatively intact from the
devastations of the Zone. During the Old Age, it

CO
44 Scrap Stronghold
was a place reserved for relaxation and enjoyment.
45–52 Scrapyard
People living in a colony built around such a place
53 Loot Cache — a generous quantity of bullets.
see their Happiness increased by a (one happy
54–55 Immaculate Green Space face).
61 Rot Safeplace Special: Also, four hours spent relaxing in this
62–63 Pristine Groundwater Table place in the colony heals 1 point of both
64–65 Tar Pit
Confusion and Doubt (only once per day).

66 Loot Cache — a very rare/unique artifact.

K BARREN
There is nothing here except for desolation and
the Rot.
Zone Prospection Trap: Sometimes, the
prospecting team encounters a threat instead
of something valuable. To determine what, roll
one Base Die or use the digit die from the
prospection outcome on the following table:
You and the other prospectors have crossed a Rot-
☣ heavy area in this sector without realising it. You all
take two Rot Points.
The prospecting team is attacked by a random Zone
2–3
Monster. Draw initiative!
4–5 Nothing happened. Keep going!
One of you have set foot where they shouldn’t have.
☢
Roll nine Base Dice against each member of the
prospecting team. For every ☢ rolled, the victim suffers
1 damage (armor protects from this damage).
K LOOT CACHE
The prospectors are lucky and have found a
concealed cache dating from the Old Age. Inside,
there is a tremendous quantity of items that will
be of great use for The People. The prospection
table above has some suggestions of what can be
found, but the GM is free to adapt it to her needs.
DEV Bonus: If the discovery is brought back to
the Ark or a colony, one of its DEV rating is
increased by 1 (at the GM’s discretion).
K ORE DEPOSITS
The prospection work uncovered an accumulation
of ore. This resource can be exploited with the
CO
Mine project to increase the Wealth of the Ark
(see page 12).
K PRISTINE GROUNDWATER TABLE
A large phreatic table untouched by the Rot is
found lying deep below the surface. With the right
Ark project, this water resource can be drilled.
Doing so will improve the Ark’s access to Rot-free
water up to plentiful. Read more about the Drilling
Rig project in the next chapter.

16
 COLONIES

K ROT SAFEPLACE
Regardless of the current Rot Level, there is Rot-
free area in this sector large enough to hold a full- RUINS, NORMAL
sized colony. The sector is therefore considered as ENVIRONMENT DISCOUNTED PROJECTS
a Rot Oasis (Rot Level 0).
Airplane Wreck –

Amusement Park –
K SCRAP STRONGHOLD
There is a strong abundance of concrete ruins Battlefield Traps (GenLab Alpha)

and/or underground tunnels in this sector. A Bus Station –

colony built here has a +1 Battle Level when Car Park Steam Car
defending against enemies. Church Temple

CO
Cinema Theater, Tribunal
K SCRAPYARD
Crater –
Sizeable piles of scrap are found hidden behind a
small hill, a wall of trees, or under a layer of ashes. Dilapidated Mansion Tavern
The site can be mined for scrap to increase the Fast Food Joint –
Wealth of the Ark by two (see page 12). Gas Station –

Highway Road
K TAR PIT
Hospital Surgery, Dispensary
A large area of natural asphalt is discovered. It is
the result of a petroleum seep where subterranean Hunting Store Hunting Party

bitumen leaks to the surface. With the right Ark Mall Marketplace
project, this crude oil resource can be drilled. Read Marina Harbor, Ship
more about the Drilling Rig project in the next Museum Museum
chapter.
Office Building –

Overgrown Park Cropland

RUINS IN THE ZONE

Playground –

Police Station Bank, Prison (Elysium)

The remains of the buildings from the Old Age
Radio Station Radio
are omnipresent in the Zone. All the example

CO
Residential Blocks –
ruins are detailed in Chapter 12 of the Mutant:
Year Zero core rulebook. Road Tunnel Road, Railroad, Shelter

A Colony built in a sector with a dominant Ruined Bridge Road, Railroad

ruin type can use these remains as a base for the School School, Academy (Elysium)
construction of one or more projects. The required Shelter Shelter, Bank
numbers of Work Points to complete these
Watchtower, Heliograph, Zone
projects are reduced by 1 (or by 2 if there are more Skyscraper
Fortress (see next chapter)
than 4 PCs in the game).
Sports Center –

Suburbia –

Subway Station Shelter

17
 COLONIES

ENVIRONMENT DISCOUNTED PROJECTS

Supermarket Pigsty, Stables

Swimming Hall –

Tank Steam Car

Theater Theater, Tribunal

Train Station Railroad, Train

RUINS, INDUSTRIAL
ENVIRONMENT DISCOUNTED PROJECTS

Workshop, Arsenal, Factory

Factory
(Mechatron), Industry (Elysium)

CO Military Base

Oil Cistern
Defenses, Watchtower, Fortifications
(see next chapter)

Pipeline –

Purification Plant Workshop, Distillery

Generator, Electric Lights, Power Plant

Power Line
(Mechatron)

Radio Mast Radio, Watchtower

Refinery Workshop, Distillery

Rubbish Dump* –

Shipwreck Ship, Steam Engine

Shooting Range –

Windmill Mill, Windmill

* Note: The Rubbish Dump ruins can be considered

like a huge Scrapyard (see Prospection outcome
above).

CO

18
 COLONIES
NEW PROJECTS
& TALENTS
CO NEW PROJECTS
K DISPENSARY
The bonesaws of the Ark have learned how to
fight diseases, as well as the use of medicinal
plants, and can perform simple medical aids.
DEV Requirement: Technology 35
Other Requirements: Academy (see Mutant:
Elysium, page 253), Distillery
Skills: Comprehend or Heal
Work Points: 2 × number of PCs
DEV Bonus: —
Special: Any rolls to ENDURE or HEAL a disease at
the dispensary get a +2 modification. The
Session Body Count is reduced by one.
K NURSERY
A place designed for the care of newborns and
young children. Here, a trained medical staff helps
pregnant mutants to safely give birth.
DEV Requirement: Culture 20, Technology 20
Other Requirement: The People must have found
a solution to bear children.
Skills: Heal or Sense Emotion
Work Points: 2 × number of PCs
DEV Bonus: Culture +D6
Special: The Nursery grants +3 Growth Rate.
19
K BROTHEL
A safe place were mutants can freely exchange
their charm.
DEV Requirement: None
Skills: Endure or Sense Emotion
Work Points: 1 × number of PCs
DEV Bonus: —
Special: The Brothel increases Happiness by a
(one happy face) and grants +1 Growth Rate.
Two hours spent in the Brothel heals all Doubt
(only once per session).
K POSTAL SERVICE
Similar to the human Couriers project (See
Mutant: Elysium, page 253), but more archaic. A
network of post offices with mutants transporting
letters and other shipments between colonies.
DEV Requirement: Culture 20, Technology 20
CO
Other Requirement: Colony
Skills: Comprehend or Endure
Work Points: 1 × number of PCs
DEV Bonus: Culture +D6, Warfare +D6
Special: The Postal Service grants +1 Stability to
the Ark.
 COLONIES
K DECONTAMINATION PROCEDURES
A set of procedures developed and applied daily
to remove the Rot of a specific Zone sector.
DEV Requirement: Technology 40
Skills: Endure or Know the Zone
Work Points: 3 × number of PCs
DEV Bonus: None
Special: Decreases by one step the Rot Level of
the sector.
K DRILLING RIG
A drilling rig is an integrated system that drills
CO wells, such as oil or water wells, in the earth's
subsurface. This project can be undertaken many
times over – every sector with a drilling rig counts
as a separate project.
DEV Requirement: Technology 25
Other Requirement: The sector must have an
underground source of water or oil. The source
can be discovered with a prospecting roll
(read more about prospection in the previous
chapter).
Skills: Endure or Know the Zone
Work Points: 3 × number of PCs
DEV Bonus: —
Special: The rig grants the following depending
of the drilled resource —
 Water: Clean water access for the Ark
becomes plentiful.
 Oil: The Ark produces oil in excess. One
dose of oil costs 1 bullet and is equal to 4
doses of booze for engines.
20
K FORTIFICATIONS
Large walls of stones with towers, bastions, gates
and a ditch. Greatly protects the Ark against
enemies from the Zone.
DEV Requirement: Warfare 25, Technology 20
Other Requirements: Defenses, Watchtower
Skills: Endure or Scout
Work Points: 3 × number of PCs
DEV Bonus: Warfare +2D6
Special: The Ark is considered fortified and
grants a defensive Fortification Bonus of GG
(two Support Dice) if you use the custom Mass
K
Combat rules.
ZONE FORTRESS
An inexpugnable fortified place where the People
can organize the defense of the whole sector.
DEV Requirement: Warfare 40, Technology 40
Other Requirement: Fortifications (above)
Skills: Force or Scout
Work Points: 5 × number of PCs
DEV Bonus: Warfare +2D6
Special: The Ark is considered extremely fortified
and gets an immediate +1 Battle Level. If you
use the custom Mass Combat rules, instead it
grants a defensive Fortification Bonus of
GGG (three Support Dice).
CO
 COLONIES
NEW BOSS & OFFICER’S TALENTS
These new talents are only available to the Boss
and the Officer roles.
K AUTHORITARIAN
You grant +1 Stability to the Ark. If you are the
ruling Boss with the most affiliated members, this
bonus is increased to +2 instead.
K TACTICIAN
You grant +1 Battle Level to the Ark if you are the
CO
ruling Boss with the most affiliated members, or if
you’re helping that Boss to defend the Ark.
For the custom Mass Combat rules, instead
you grant O (one Strategy Die) if you’re in the
Leader position of your side. During the Waves of
battle, all your skill rolls get a +1 modification.
K TOPHER
You are handsome, funny and addictive. You get
+1 Influence. During the Recruitment Phase, you
can push your recruitment roll once. But if you do,
each ☣ rolled causes your faction to lose one
member (they become unaffiliated).
21
NEW GENERAL TALENTS
K AGITATOR
You get a +3 modification to Destabilize the
situation in an Ark (see page 4).
K BEACON OF LIGHT
You bring light to this grim world by your sole
presence. You increase the Happiness by a (one
happy face) and you get a +1 modification to
MANIPULATE other People from your Ark. But
when you die or disappear into the Zone for too
long, the Ark gets a −1 Stability during several
weeks.
K INFLUENCOR
You have a natural charisma and good oratory
skills. You get a +2 modification to Stabilize the
situation in the Ark (see page 3) and a +2
modification for Influencing the Ark’s population
(see page 8).
K PROSPECTOR
You get a +2 modification to KNOW THE ZONE
when you prospect an explored sector for
undiscovered special resources for the colony.
Also, you only take half the time (two hours) for
the prospection.
CO