Grimdark Future Warfleets Core Rules
General Principles
The most important rule: Whenever the rules are unclear, use common sense and personal preference. Have fun!
Modifiers: Regardless of modifiers, rolls of 6 are always successes, and rolls of 1 are always fails.
Preparation
The Fleets: The players must put together two fleets of equal point cost before the game begins (we recommend 300pts to start, and 450pts for a full match).
Force Org. (optional): Players may only bring up to 1 hero per 200pts in their fleet, and only X copies of the same ship, where X is 1 per 150pts in their fleet. Fleets may only have max. 1 ship per 50pts, and max. 1 squadron per 35pts.
The Battlefield: The game is played on a 6’x4‘ area, with 10+ pieces of terrain. The game can be also played on smaller areas, as long as armies deploy at least 24" apart.
Mission: Place D3+2 objectives. Players roll-off to go first, and then alternate in placing one marker each over 9” away from the table edge, deployment zones, and each other. If a ship moves over a marker, remove it from the table and it is carried by that ship, and if the ship is removed from play, then the marker is dropped on the spot. The game ends after 4 rounds, and the player that is holding most markers wins.
Deployment: Players roll-off, and the winner picks a long table edge as their deployment zone, with their opponent taking the opposite. Then the players alternate in placing all ships within 12” of their table edge, starting with the player that won the roll-off, and then do the same thing with all their squadrons.
Playing the Game
The game is played in rounds of 4 phases, in which all models of that type must be activated, before starting the next phase. Players alternate in activating one model each, starting with the player that won the deployment roll. Each new round the players then alternate in starting first.
- Squadrons
- Light Ships
- Medium Ships
- Heavy Ships
Activation
The player picks one model that hasn’t activated yet, and it must take one action:
| Action | Speed | Pivot |
| Hold | - | 180° |
| Move | Move | 90° |
| Cruise | Cruise | 45° |
| Ram* | Cruise | 45° |
- Squadrons can’t ram or be rammed.
Movement
Squadrons: May move by up to their speed value and may turn in any direction. Squadrons that move within 2” of an enemy squadron must end their move within 2” of it and count as engaged. Engaged squadrons can’t move.
Ships: Must move straight by their full speed value and may pivot once at any point after half their move. Ships may only use ram actions if they can reach base contact with the target, at which point they immediately stop.
Overlapping: If a ship would end its move overlapping another ship, then it must continue to move straight until it is 1” away from any ships. Then the ship, and any others it moved through, each take 1 damage. If a ship ends its move overlapping squadrons, then players may place each other’s squadrons anywhere within 1” of the ship. Note that ships that use hold actions may not pivot in such a way that they overlap any other models.
Disengaging: If a ship moves off the table, it is removed from play, and at the end of the round the player must place it back on the same table edge within 4” of where it left.
Easy Target: Models shooting at ships that used a hold action always hit on 2+ until the ship moves again.
Ramming
After the ramming ship has moved into contact with the target, compare the max. upgrades of each ship. The ship with the lower number takes 2 damage, whilst the other takes 1 damage, and in case of a tie both ships take 1 damage. The target is then pushed D6” away if it has the same or lower amount of upgrades, and if this pushes it into another ship or terrain, then it stops and takes 1 damage.
Shooting
Models that have range and line of sight to a target may shoot all weapons after moving, but only if they didn’t use cruise or ram actions this round. Squadrons that are engaged may only target squadrons that they are engaged with.
To Hit: The attacker rolls as many dice as the weapon’s attacks, trying to score the target’s evasion value. For each die that rolls equal or higher, the target takes one hit. If the target is being shot in the rear, then you get +1 to hit. Squadrons get +1 to hit against other squadrons.
To Block: The defender rolls as many dice as hits, trying to score its toughness value or higher, and for each failed roll the target takes 1 damage. The defender gets -X to this roll, where X is the total strength of the attacking weapon. If the target is being shot in the rear, then it gets an additional -1 to this roll.
Damage: Squadrons are destroyed after taking 2 damage, whilst ships must assign damage to one of their upgrades instead, and must continue assigning damage to that upgrade until it is disabled. Upgrades are disabled after taking 2 damage, and if all of a ship’s upgrades are disabled it is destroyed (remove from play).
Morale
If at the end of any round a fleet is down to half or less of its starting ships, then all ships must take a morale test. Roll a D6, add the number of non-disabled upgrades the ship still has, and if the result is 6+ the morale test is passed. If failed, then the ship surrenders and is removed from play. Squadrons don’t have to take a morale test, and only if all friendly ships have surrendered or are destroyed, then all of the squadrons surrender as well.
Terrain
Cover Terrain: Models that are mostly inside cover terrain or behind sight blockers, get +1 to Defence toughness rolls.
Difficult Terrain: Models moving through difficult terrain halve their speed.
Impassable Terrain: Models can’t move through impassable terrain, and models that are pushed into it take 1 damage.
Dangerous Terrain: Models that are pushed into or move through dangerous terrain immediately take D3 damage.
Fleet Creation
Heroes/Titles: Ships can take heroes and titles by adding their cost to the ship’s total cost, and each ship may only have one hero and one title.
Upgrades: Systems and weapons count as upgrades, which are free (unlike heroes and titles). Players must assign each ship with as many upgrades as the number in brackets, and each upgrade may only be taken once per ship. Ships have a front, sides (counts for both sides), and rear facing, and weapons must be mounted on a specific facing (each facing may only have one weapon).
Turrets: All models come with a turret that may be fired in all directions, which doesn’t count as a weapon or upgrade.
Ships & Squadrons
Cruiser Ship (Heavy 4) - 80pts
- Speed: Move 4“ / Cruise 6“
- Turret: Ran 24“ / Att 2 / Str 2
- Defense: Eva 2+ / Tou 2+
Destroyer Ship (Medium 3) - 60pts
- Speed: Move 6“ / Cruise 9“
- Turret: Ran 18“ / Att 2 / Str 1
- Defense: Eva 3+ / Tou 3+
Corvette Ship (Light 2) - 40pts
- Speed: Move 8“ / Cruise 12“
- Turret: Ran 12“ / Att 2 / Str 0
- Defense: Eva 4+ / Tou 4+
Gunship Squadron - 10pts
- Speed: Move 10“ / Cruise 15“
- Turret: Ran 2“ / Att 2 / Str 0
- Defense: Eva 5+ / Tou 5+
Fighter Squadron - 10pts
- Speed: Move 10“ / Cruise 15“
- Turret: Ran 2“ / Att 3 / Str 0
- Defense: Eva 5+ / Tou 6+
- Special: Anti-Squadron
Bomber Squadron - 10pts
- Speed: Move 8“ / Cruise 12“
- Turret: Ran 2“ / Att 1 / Str 2
- Defense: Eva 4+ / Tou 5+
- Special: Anti-Ship, Deadly
Heroes
Tactical Master (15pts): May choose not to be deployed at the start of the game, but instead may be deployed anywhere over 9“ away from enemies at the start of any round after the first.
Ace Carrier (10pts): As many squadrons as upgrades on this ship may choose not to be deployed at the start of the game. Once per game, when this ship activates, those squadrons may be deployed anywhere within 2" of this ship, and may immediately activate.
Expert Sapper (10pts): When this ship is activated, you may place a mine marker within 4“. Enemies moving within 3“ of the mine take 2 damage and remove it.
Titles
Avenger (10pts): When activated, may be placed anywhere within D3+1“.
Vanguard (5pts): When deployed may immediately be moved straight by up to its move speed.
Defiant (5pts): Whenever a friendly ship within 6“ is destroyed, you may remove 2 damage from this ship.
Systems
Ablative Armor: Enemy ships ramming this ship take +1 damage, and this ship never takes any damage from overlapping enemy ships.
Armored Plating: This upgrade takes 4 damage to be disabled.
Gravity Bumper: Enemy ships are pushed by +D6“ when rammed by this ship.
Nuclear Ammo: Turret gets +1 strength.
Pulse Engine: Gets +2“ on move and +3“ on cruise/ram actions.
Reinforced Ram: Deals +1 damage when ramming enemy ships.
Repair Bay: When activated may remove 1 damage from another ship within 4“.
Shield Booster: When taking a point of damage roll one die, on a 5+ it is ignored.
Stealth Rig: Always counts as in cover when targeted from over 12“ away.
Tracking Servo: Turret gets +1 to hit rolls.
Tractor Beam: When activated pick one enemy ship within 8“ and move it D6+1“ toward this ship.
Weapons
Energy Cannon: Ran 12“ / Att 3 / Str 1 Special: Anti-Ship
Giga Cannon: Ran 6“ / Att 1 / Str 4 Special: Deadly.
Linked Railgun: Ran 24“ / Att 3 / Str 1 Special: Overheating.
Missile Cluster: Ran 18“ / Att 1 / Str 1 Special: Blast.
Plasma Cannon: Ran 18“ / Att 2 / Str 3 Special: Overheating.
Pod Launcher: Ran 6“ / Att 2 / Str 0 Special: Boarding Pod
Precision Cannon: Ran 24“ / Att 1 / Str 2 Special: Sniper.
Rapid Cannon: Ran 12“ / Att 3 / Str 0 Special: Twin-Fire.
Weapon Batteries: Ran 6“ / Att 2 / Str 2 Special: Broadside.
Special Rules
=== Anti-Ship === Gets +1 to hit against ships, but only hits squadrons on 6+.
Anti-Squadron
Gets +1 to hit against squadrons, but only hits ships on 6+.
Blast
If the target is hit all models within 4“ of it are also hit by this weapon.
Boarding Pod
May only target ships, and targets take 1 boarding marker per hit instead of damage (don't roll to block). Roll one die for each marker when the ship is activated. On 4+ the marker is removed, else the target takes 1 damage.
Broadside
May only be mounted on the sides facing, and may be fired from both side facings at once.
Deadly
This weapon deals +1 damage per unblocked hit on the target.
Fragile
The first time this model takes damage each round it takes +1 damage.
Overheating
If you roll a 1 to hit, then this model takes 1 damage.
Twin-Fire
This weapon may be fired twice, picking two different targets.
Rogue
This squadron may skip activating during the squadrons phase to activate in another phase, but may only either move or shoot when activating in another phase.
Sniper
Attacker may assign damage from this weapon to one upgrade of choice.
