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Armageddon War
It was 2028CE, or by the calendar in use in much of the conflict area, 1450AH. Domestic disasters
in the United States turned political attention inward, and the death of President Putin in Russia
had sparked a power struggle that likewise focuses their attention on domestic rather than foreign
policy. The Islamic State in the Levant (ISIL), resurgent, bellicose but largely content to remain
within its borders, decided that this was the time to expand. Using captured and black market
weapons from both the US and Russia, they push first against rebel enclaves in disputed border
areas, and then against traditional enemies like Israel. At the same time, internal dissent erupts
and some ISIL cities are rocked by all-out civil war.

2 FT
1.0 Introduction
Armageddon War (or just GeddonWar) is a
platoon-level game recounting the conflects of
2028 and the following years, where ideological,
territorial and resource-based tensions turned into
outright hostilities, first in the Middle East, but
spreading quickly across Asia and the Pacific Rim.
Major nations were loath to get directly involved
The number of dice you roll for an attack is
modified by exactly three things: the armor of
the target, your own action status (4.17), and if
multiple units combine fire (4.162).
Everything else in the game is a dice modifier, or
DM. A DM could also be considered a defense
modifier, as it is adjusts the type of dice you get

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at first, using weapons exports and advisers as
proxies for their national interests, but their bases
and treaties in the conflict zones eventually forced
them into the fray.
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to roll. That is, the kinetic energy represented by
your tank cannon and the resistive power of
enemy armor remain the same, but your odds of
getting enough solid hits to affect an enemy
platoon is going to be different if you are moving
or they are under cover.

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GeddonWar has conflict between disorganized
and poorly equipped militias, advanced weapon
systems barely past the prototype stage in the
hands of highly disciplined First World forces, and
everything in between.
The term firepower will always refer to the
number of dice you can roll, and dice modifiers
(or DMs) refer to the type of dice you roll. How
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strikes turn into demoralized or eliminated

Rather than the dry, often mechanical treatment
often given to tactical games, Geddon War will
diverge into explanations of some of the units, the
details and tactics and the reasons why a rule is
the way it is. GeddonWar is meant to appeal to
the hardcore tactical gamer, but still be accessible
to new players.
1.1 Dice concepts
GeddonWar uses special six-sided dice for all
purposes. These have a mixture of strikes and
shields on them and come in three colors, which
represent normal fire (black), intense fire (red)
and weak fire (green).
example: The strikes are possible hits
and the shield is possible counter-fire
from the people you are shooting at.
There are two dice concepts you need to keep in
mind for GeddonWar. First is firepower, or FP.
This is the number in the lower left corner of
any counter with firepower, and represents the
number of dice you roll.
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enemies is covered later (4.17). A positive dice
modifier is a dice upgrade and means you shift
that many dice one level more intense. A negative
dice modifier is a dice downgrade and means you
shift that many dice one level less intense.
example: If your adjusted firepower was 2, your
default roll is 2 black dice. If the target had a -1 dice
modifier from cover, you would instead roll 1 black and
1 green die, and if there was also a +2 dice modifier
for short range, the total result is a +1 dice modifier, so
you would roll 1 black and 1 red die.
Excess dice modifiers are lost. So, if you had 1
black die, you could upgrade it to a red die with
+1DM, but further upgrades would have no effect.
GeddonWar comes with 18 dice, 6 in each of
black, red and green. There is a hard limit on
attacks, that you never roll more than 6 dice.
So, no matter what your attack or its modifiers,
the included dice will be sufficient.
Dice probabilities 1.3 Counter descriptions
Just so you know, the GeddonWar dice break down as GeddonWar counters have a fairly uniform look
follows: to them, with different spots being used for the
same function as much as possible. Firepower or
green dice: 2 faces with , 3 faces blank, 1 face adjustments to firepower are in the lower left,
with , for an average of .33 strikes and counter- movement in the center and defense on the right.
strikes per die rolled.
1.31 Unit counters
black dice: 1 face with , 1 face with , 2 faces A unit counter will generally look like the one
with , 1 face with , 1 face with , for an average below. In addition to the unique flag, units of a
of .83 strikes and counter-strikes per die rolled. particular nation/group generally have a uniform
color coding, so all Russian formations will have
red dice: 1 face with , 2 faces with , 2 faces the same light/dark red color scheme.

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with , 1 face with , for an average of 1.33
Nationality
strikes and counter-strikes per die rolled. A flag to identify the nation Formation/Unit
or ideology of the formation, The formation name.
and any specific vehicle or This may include
In essence, each 2DM averages to 1 strike. game-relevant terms
weapon in the formation
(e.g. recon)
1.2 Counter concepts
A unit counter in GeddonWar Special note
usually represents a platoon. An An icon may be here

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infantry platoon would be about four to denote a special
characteristic of the
squads totalling thirty to fifty people, unit
would be commanded by a lieutenant
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and is mostly riflemen and a smaller number of
Defense value/type
marksmen or specialists with light machine guns, The shield color is

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rocket launchers or grenade launchers. A vehicle
platoon is typically four vehicles, again with a
lieutenant in overall command. A unit counter can
also represent a sniper team, or a single drone,
helicopter or ground attack aircraft.
the defense type, and
the number is the
defense value
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Firepower type/range Movement value/type

The large number/color are The number is how many
A support weapon counter is the primary firepower value movement points the unit has,
either a special weapon for a vehicle and type, and the superscript and the letter is the type of
platoon (like an anti-tank missile) or is the normal range. The movement (Infantry, Tracked,
a larger supply of ammunition for a starburst is the secondary Wheeled). If the number is
firepower type, which uses green, it means the unit can
weapon an infantry platoon might the same value and range as transport an infantry unit
already have (light machine guns, the primary type. (3.02)
etc.), allowing more intense and sustained use of
that weapon. In a few cases, an infantry support
weapon could be something an infantry platoon
does not normally have while on the march (like a
heavy anti-tank rocket or tripod-mounted heavy
machine gun). Note that support weapons must
have an appropriate regular unit to use it, it does
not represent an independent weapon team.

An admin counter is just about

everything else. These are counters
that used to denote status (has this
unit fired already?), special features
of a location (an improved position),
or special situations (hidden units).

Exactly what the numbers on the counter mean

are described next.

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1.32 Support weapon counters
A support weapon counter will generally look like
the one below. Support weapons do not act on
their own and require another unit to use them.
For instance, a vehicle-mounted rocket must be
associated with a particular vehicle unit. Vehicle
support weapons are always used alone, while
some infantry support weapons will add to the
firepower of the carrying unit. Support weapon
counters have a uniform color. They will typically
be used by a particular nationality, but only a few
are specific to a particular group.
The nationalities in GeddonWar
Islamic State in the Levant(ISIL). Occupied most
of Syria and Iraq and small parts of Iran, with outlying
support in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan. Mostly
equipped with Russian hardware, plus a small amount
of US armor from that supplied to Iraq and Saudi
Arabia and kept operational with black-market parts.
Rebels. ISIL defectors or areas that have never fully
submitted to ISIL. Poorly equipped, with improvised
(technicals and sandcrawlers) and long-obsolete
(T-55) vehicles, but is covertly supported with anti-
tank weapons by both Russia and the United States.
Israel. The Israeli Defense Force(IDF) is formidable,

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Firepower type/range
Infantry support weapons a no-nonsense force that includes some of the worlds
with a primary firepower strongest armor and most experienced infantry. They
matching the carrying unit respond aggressively to any ISIL provocation.
add this to the firepower of
United States. The United States is mostly still using
that unit if within that units
range, otherwise it stands hardware developed in the 1980s, with a small core
alone. A support weapon of upgraded and prototype units that were deployed
with a different color is a to the area by fortuituous and some claim engineered
separate attack and a unit
coincidence.

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chooses either its inherent
firepower or the support Russia. The Russian Federation is the indirect
weapon firepower. supplier of most of the regions military hardware but
has largely avoided direct involvement. ISIL actions
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and support in Turkmenistan resulted in the hasty
deployment of front-line armor and troops to both

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Usage limitation
The X in the same spot as a
units movement means this
weapon cannot be used by
the unit for a move and
fire action.
Support weapon type
There will be an icon here to
show what types of unit the
support weapon can be used
by, which is usually infantry,
protect the border and quell possible internal unrest.

1.312 Range
The range of a units firepower is the maximum
distance before it takes range penalties. A unit
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land vehicles or air vehicles. with a simple white number for range can shoot to
double this (extended range) at a penalty, and if
1.311 Firepower/defense colors shooting at half this range or less (drop fractions)
A key aspect of the GeddonWar system is the it gets a bonus. Range can also be inside a colored
notion of firepower type. The color of the number circle to indicate one of the following:
and the starburst for firepower defines the role of
the unit and its ability to harm other units. This is
not the color of the dice you roll. Primary
firepower colors on the units are:

anti-infantry lots of rifles, a small number of

heavier weapons, grenades
anti-vehicle a small number of cannon or
rockets, plus machineguns
anti-air weapons optimized for shooting
at aerial targets
Defense shields are similarly coded, so armored
vehicles typically have a gold shield (because they
are designed to resist gold firepower). A special
case is soft vehicles like trucks, which are coded:
soft target this unit takes full effect from
any attack type
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black circle unit is capable of indirect fire
(5.1)
red circle firepower cannot be used at
extended range and gets no
bonus at close range. This is
the typical range type for anti-
tank missiles
green circle limited effect, cannot do more
than 1 step loss to an enemy unit
in each fire or counter-fire. This
represents a single weapon or
limited ammunition supply. Dice
are rolled normally, but the result
cannot do more than 1 step loss
to a target
1.33 Admin counters
Admin counters take on a lot of forms, but the
most common ones you will use are the double-
sided counters reflecting whether a unit has acted,
is depleted or shaken. Admin counters generally
try to give you a shorthand version of what you
need to know, so that you do not always have to
reference the rules when you see one. The
trapezoidal admin counters are meant to be
placed under the unit they are
affecting. This way you can still
see the full stats of the unit (if
it is the only one in the hex,
2 FT
anyway), and if there is more
than one admin counter, you
place them so their flags are
facing different directions.
Action(-1 to firepower): The unit
has moved and/or fired and cannot
move or fire again until this is
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removed during that formations
upkeep step (2.021). The unit can
still counterfire (4.161) and engage in
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close combat (4.3), but at -1 to its normal firepower.
This counter is also the minimum level of combat
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disruption a unit can take. That is, an action could
mean that the unit has acted or that it has been
temporarily distracted by enemy fire.
Pinned(-2 to firepower): The unit
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is somewhat disorganized, either
from combat effects or from
sustained fire against one or more
foes. It cannot move or fire and any
counterfire or close combat is at -2
to its normal firepower. Pinned units
may not retreat (4.16).
Shaken(-3 to firepower): The unit
has taken a serious combat result.
It may not move or fire but can
counterfire and close combat with
an additional -3 firepower. A unit
that is Shaken and takes an action
step flips to its reduced side. Shaken units may not
retreat (4.16).
note: If a rule says a unit takes an action step, it
means that if it has no counter it gets Action(1), or it
increases any counter it already has by one step (e.g.
Pinned(2) to Shaken(3)). With the exception of
intensive fire (4.153), no action or combination of
actions a unit can initiate will ever cause that unit to
gain more than one action step. So, move & fire,
move & close combat, move & counterfire or anything
else only counts as one action step.
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Action steps
Action steps in GeddonWar are a combination of
Were busy!, Incoming!, Im hit! and We need
more ammo!. A soldier or AFV could easily go through
their entire ammo load in one turn if they wanted to. A
T-72s theoretical ability to fire 8 shots per minute
means it could empty its entire ammunition carousel in
3 minutes, and GeddonWar is a game with 15 minute
turns. Similarly, a BMP-2 could use up all the ammo
for its 23mm autocannon in about 2 minutes. So, in
practice, people tend to not shoot faster than their rate
of resupply. The multiple levels of action counters can
mean you are too low on ammunition to take offensive
action, someone is wounded and you are pausing to
patch them up or get them evacuated, a vehicle got its
chimes rung or suffered a minor breakdown and you
have to pause for a minute. These things reduce your
effective firepower. This reduction in firepower could
be enough to remove your ability to be an effective
combatant, or you might still be someone that the other
guy does not want to antagonize. The important thing
about action steps is that they are not damage. You
can recover all of them and get back to full fighting
form. How long this takes depends on your position
(2.021). A unit exposed and alone is going to take
longer than one under cover and being resupplied.
Being able to quickly recover action steps is vital to
keeping any sort of assault from bogging down.
1.34 Damaged counters
Most unit counters have a flip side
with a lighter bar through the
middle, and reduced firepower,
range and movement values. This
represents a unit that has suffered
permanent combat losses. Support weapons
do not have a damaged side. Unless a special
scenario rule says otherwise, support weapons
are eliminated when the unit carrying them is
eliminated, even if there are other friendly units in
the hex capable of using that support weapon.
2.0 Turn structure
There are no end turns in the GeddonWar
system, no single spot in a turn sequence where
everyone removes their I did stuff counters at the
same time. Each formations actions are sequenced
through the drawing of command chits from a
cup. Each formation will have one or more of these
chits. The ones for a scenario are placed in a cup
and drawn randomly to see which formation
activates. At the start of a scenario, all the chits
will usually be in the cup, and sequence of play is:
draw a command chit (2.01) to activate a formation
2 FT
upkeep actions for the active formation (2.02)
unit actions for the active formation (2.03)
end actions for active formation, return to first step
2.01 Draw a command chit
This player may activate any or all units in that
formation in any order desired. The player who
drew it places the chit on the map edge command
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track, on the next spot after any existing chit (or
on impulse 1 at the start of the game).
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example: After three activations, the command track
might look like this:
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When the last chit is drawn and placed on the
command track, return all but that chit to the cup.
If a formations units are all eliminated, its chits
are removed from the cup but ones on the track
are left there until the cup is refilled. If there are
more than ten formation chits, use a spare chit to
note it on the 10-20-30 track and set aside current
chits so that new ones can be put on the 0-9 track.
example: If there were four formation chits in the
previous example, after you draw the last one (we will
say it is a Rebel marker), and place it on the track, you
return the others to the cup, leaving the command
track like this:
The amount of time that has elapsed in the
scenario is determined by the number of impulses
that have been taken. The game effects of this are
that combat becomes more of a continuous flow
rather than a set number of turns, and that a
scenario is going to have a certain number of
formation impulses rather than a certain number
of player turns.
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note: A deliberate side effect of this system is that a
refill of the cup leaves an odd man out, a formation
chit that will not be drawn at all from that cup. You can
mitigate this by use of a logistics/command marker
(2.022), but otherwise, Murphys Law will hit one
formation every cycle through the cup.
2.02 Upkeep actions
When a formation activates, do the following in
this order for units in that formation:
morale recovery (2.021)
place/remove logistics/command markers (2.022)
2.021 Morale recovery
Morale or the esprit de corps of a unit is their
ability to pull together under stress and to some
extent their ability to innovate or act creatively
to overcome obstacles in their path, and the
percentage of individuals in that unit who are
willing to look towards a goal more abstract than
keeping their own skin unperforated.
I'll tell you what morale is. It is when a soldier thinks
his army is the best in the world, his regiment the best
in the army, his company the best in the regiment, his
squad the best in the company, and that he himself is
the best damn soldier-man in the outfit. - Brigadier
General James A. Ulio
All units in that formation recover 1 Action step
in this step, and 1 additional step for each of:
if that unit is in terrain with a defensive bonus
if that unit is not within extended range of any
enemy ground units that have line of sight on them
if that unit is within 2 hexes of its logistics marker
if that unit is defined as elite in a scenario setup
example: A Shaken infantry will automatically recover
to the Pinned level in this step. If it is under cover and
outside of enemy line of sight, or is close to a Logistics
marker it would recover to Action level, and if it had
cover and a Logistics unit it would recover back to
normal.
note: Being able to get extra recovery steps is very
important if you want to keep an offensive from stalling
out. Planning your attack route and logistics placement
to get maximum advantage will make a big difference
in effectiveness.
2.022 Logistics/command markers 2.03 Unit actions
Part of a units action status is simple A unit usually does one or both of the following
morale, but some of it is munitions when its formation activates:
and/or fuel. You can go through a lot
of both in short order and there is moves (3.0)
no guarantee you started with as fires (4.1)
much as you would like. Players
may start a scenario with one or more If a unit can do something that has an effect on its
logistics/command markers in reserve. The movement rate, all penalties are assumed to be
logistics side represents supplies you need to fight based on the printed movement rate on the
at full effectivness. In this step you can: counter.

place a logistics counter outside of enemy line of example: An APC uses up half its move

2 FT
sight (or outside of maximum range) and no more
than 2 hexes from a friendly unit
move an existing logistics counter up to 3 hexes. It
may enter enemy line of sight but must end in a
hex that it could have been placed in (see above)
pick up a logistics counter from the map and return
it to your reserves
(round down) to load or unload troops.
If this unit (with 6 movement points)
wanted to unload troops, it would take 3
movement points to unload. If it then
wanted to make an attack, it would take
a dice degradation as though it had actually moved with
those 3 movement points.

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If an enemy unit becomes adjacent to or enters
the hex of your logistics marker, immediately
return it to your reserves.
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The other side of the counter is the command side.
note: Support weapons that have a
no move notation (an X in the bottom
center of the counter) cannot use a
move & fire action, or fire after the
carrying unit does anything that

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If the counter started this step in your reserve you
may put it on the command track in place of any
of your chits there, and put that chit back in the
cup. This represents extra effort made by the
overall command to get that formation into action
uses movement points. The unit with
the weapon can move, but cannot move & fire.

2.04 End of formation actions

When a player announces that they are done for
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and keep it in action. Once this marker is placed this formation, go back to 2.01 and repeat the
on the command track, it does not return to your process. Once a formation has passed its turn to
reserve until the other chits on the command track the next one, units in that formation may only act
are returned to the cup. based on the type of admin counter on the unit:

2.023 Initiative(optional) none action pinned shaken

Units in a formation generally operate in close a r r r
a
fire(4.1)
proximity to each other and are hesitant to initiate r r r
a a
opfire(4.21)
action if other units in the formation are not in r r
a a a a
retreat(4.142)
contact or visible.
a a a a
counterfire(4.151)
close combat(4.3)
After placement of logistics markers (if any), check
units in that formation. A unit has initiative if: Each of the above items will be addressed later in
the rules.
it is within 2 hexes of a logistics marker
a unit in that formation is in line of sight (4.14)
a hex with a unit in that formation can be entered
with 1 turns worth of movement
the unit has recon in its name

Units that do not meet any of these conditions get

an Action marker (the green one) if they have no
other Action steps on them. Otherwise there is no
effect.

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3.0 Movement
Units may normally only move when it is their
formations turn to act. An exception is Retreating
(4.142) when under fire.
Units in the same hex move singly or together.
Units of the same formation starting in the same
hex may move simultaneously. Units moving into a
hex with another unit of the same formation may
continue moving with that new unit as a group and
even split off again later, but all units are limited
by terrain, stacking limits (3.01) and the available
movement points.
The various terrain types are described next.
Some are obvious, others need a little more expla-
nation.
road: A road is a feature that is on
another terrain and supercedes it. It
is a feature that allows units to move
into otherwise prohibited terrain. For
instance, a road over a river is a
bridge, or a road lets vehicles move through dense
woods. When you move into a hex with a road you
declare if you are using the road or not (if you
have a choice). This makes a difference because

2 FT
Basically, as long as no unit in the
formation uses more movement
points than it has, then units can
join and separate during movement.
So, you could move a vehicle into a
hex with infantry in that formation
and then move the pair of them into
units using the road are at a disadvantage if fired
upon (it has no cover and your movement is
predictable). The movement rate for roads
requires that you exit the hex you are in via a
road hexside, into another hex with that same
road (that is, moving into a road hex via anything
other than the road uses the normal movement
cost for that terrain).

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close combat with an enemy. Note
that once a unit has stopped note: If a unit ends its movement on a road it is
moving, it cannot start again later assumed that after its action is done it is taking
advantage of the non-road terrain for combat purposes.
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in the turn.
So ending a move on a road through dense woods

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The printed movement points (or
MP) on a counter are compared to
the movement cost for each hex the
unit enters. If a unit type is allowed
to enter a terrain, it can always move
means you have cover from the dense woods after
your action is done.

clear: Grassy, open, no cover, no

real impediment to movement but
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1 hex in a turn, even if its adjusted MP would not wheeled vehicles have to watch out
normally allow it. See the table below for move- for soft spots.
ment costs and the larger version on the player aid
sheet. cultivated: Ground irregularities and
crops that provide some light cover
MP cost per hex for infantry but is otherwise treated
infantry wheeled tracked like clear terrain.
road 1/2 1/2 1/2

clear 1 2 1 soft sand: Hard to walk in, slow to

cultivated 1 2 1 drive through, provides no cover for
soft sand 2 3 2 vehicles and light cover for infantry.
dunes 3 4 3
rough 2 X X
light woods 1 2 2 dunes: Soft sand in the form of hills.
dense woods 2 X X Impossible to cross at speed as you
light urban 1 1 1 are either going around them or
dense urban 1 2 2 slogging up and down them. They do
marsh 3 X X provide good cover.
river X X X
wadi X X X rough: Broken terrain. This could
elevation change(up) +1 +1 +1 be a boulder field, a rubbled building,
crest +0 +0 +0 a junkyard, etc. Vehicles cannot
flank move -1 -1 -1 enter or traverse it without a road.
fence(crossing) +4 X +2 The Crusader-era fortification on Map 1
wreck +0 +0 +0 counts as rough (and elevated).

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light woods: This is movie woods,
with open ground and large trees
spaced enough apart that vehicles
can move through it at speed.
Orchards or other regularly spaced
trees are considered light woods.
dense woods: This is real woods,
with fallen logs, underbrush, and
trees spaced so closely you cannot
weave a path between them sufficient
to traverse the hex at anything faster
than bulldozer speed.
elevation: Crossing an elevation line
on a map (going uphill) costs 1MP
more than that terrain normally
would. Exiting a wadi counts as going
uphill.
crest: A lightly shaded stairstep-like
line on a map is a crest line, a slight
change in elevation that you cannot
see over. An example would be the
line from hex A4 to G1 on map 2. This
has no effect on movement, but it blocks line
of sight unless you have at least one level of

2 FT
light urban: This is residential
neighborhood sort of urban, with low,
reasonably spaced buildings and
wide streets. Vehicles and infantry get
different amounts of cover because
while the vehicles can dodge behind buildings they
are still sitting in the open for the most part. Note
elevation. For all practical purposes a crest line
acts like a level 1 hill 1 hex wide, except it does
not cost any extra movement to enter.
fence: Think prison fence. This is a
barrier designed to stop infantry or
light vehicles. It could be a sturdy
chainlink fence, concertina wire, a

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that all the structures in the military base on Map
2 count as light urban, as does the soccer stadium
in hex F13 on Map 1.
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dense urban: Apartment blocks,
office buildings, multi-story steel and
shallow ditch or some combination of
the above. Infantry usually has to stop when
entering the hex unless a tracked vehicle has
passed through and left a breach marker, which
makes it count as a road (a narrow passage that

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cement structures. More difficult to
thread your way through in vehicles if
for no other reason than the large
number of ambush spots.
increases your vulnerability when passing
through). Note that like an elevation change, a
fence is at the border of a hex and only affects
your movement if you cross that hexside.
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wrecks: A destroyed vehicle platoon

marsh: Muddy, soggy soil that is an leaves behind some smoking wrecks
infantry nightmare and impassable to that are natural sources of physical
vehicles. cover and reduced visibility to
attackers. However, they do not
impede movement or affect stacking
river: A river on the map is wide and limits and only one wreck counter can be in a
deep enough to be impassable to hex. A wreck is not a terrain type but an external
infantry and non-amphibious modification to the terrain brought about by
vehicles. Any map feature in a water combat.
color where the water occupies the
center of the hex would use the rules for
rivers. The entire hex is considered off-limits even
if the river is far less than 150 meters wide. An
amphibious vehicle would have a blue circle
around its MP and would treat rivers or other
water hazards as a cost of 4MP per hex. Note that
you can move onto a bridge (road over water)
from any adjacent hex, not just road hexes.

wadi: A wadi is a seasonally dry

riverbed. In GeddonWar it will refer
to one that is deep and steep-sided.
It can only be entered or exited at its
ends, but a unit in the wadi moves like
it was clear terrain and sees other units
in the wadi like they were in clear terrain.
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flanking move: If you choose to throw caution to
the wind, you can move very quickly. A flank move
reduces the MP cost for a hex by 1, but not to less
than 1/2MP per hex. Tactically, this can be very
useful, so do not ignore or forget it. The downside
is that if you are attacked while moving (indirect
fire, hidden units, plain oid mistakes) the attacker
gets a +1 upgrade on each attack die (a positive
die modifier equal to the number of dice rolled).
This will also apply if a unit using flank movement
ends its movement in close combat.
note: You cannot use the flanking movement rate if
2 FT
you are announcing move and fire or fire and move
as that units movement. Similarly, a scenario may
have special rules that say flanking moves are not
allowed.
X: If a terrain is marked X for its movement cost,
it is impassable to that type of unit. A road going
through a hex negates that boundary, but only for
7
units staying on the road (and giving an attacker
the +1 die modifier for a road-using target).
example: A vehicle cannot move through dense woods
A
unless there is a road. However, if you use the road you
01
do not get the defensive benefit of the woods if you are
fired on while moving. In fact, your opponent gets a
bonus because you are a target moving in a predictable
manner in a constrained area. However, once you are
done moving for the turn it is assumed that you have
DR
parked to take advantage of available cover and you do
get the defensive benefit of the woods if fired upon.
A note about terrain
For a hex 150 meters across, any terrain
that can block line of sight makes it a
trivial task for a unit to hole up someplace
where they cannot be seen. For instance, in
an urban hex you just park your vehicle platoon
between a few buildings on a narrow street or take an
infantry platoon down to the sub-basement of an office
building. And civilians in the area are doing just that,
making themselves scarce. Soldiers on the other hand
are there to fight, which means being able to see the
enemy and be seen in turn. GeddonWar reflects this
with several modifiers. First, if you flank move you are
deliberately taking less advantage of cover in order to
move faster. Second, the counter-fire mechanic implies
that instead of ducking, you are staying where you can
shoot back. Third, the retreat combat modifier (4.16)
is all about taking advantage of cover and leaving the
hex. And last, intensive fire (4.153) means really
exposing yourself and generates 2 extra action steps
for a unit, which means that it is more vulnerable to
counter-fire or later attacks.
3.01 Stacking
The stacking limit for friendly platoon-level units in
a hex is 2. Support weapons do not count towards
this stacking limit, nor do wrecks, air units (5.6),
snipers (5.41), civilians (5.7), improved positions
(4.152) and similar items, each of which is limited
to 1 per hex. For the sake of keeping special cases
to a minimum, the two platoon stacking limit for
friendly ground units may not be exceeded at any
time. This means that you need to watch the order
in which you move dense formations, lest faster
units be blocked by slower ones in the way.
Reality note
The stacking limits in GeddonWar are not that
realistic. A hex is the size of several football fields, so
having more than eight vehicles or eighty men there
should not be a problem. So, why the limits? It is
mostly as a matter of game balance and practicality.
Otherwise, players would tend to make teetering
stacks of doom. Imagine a stack of 5 units, with
support weapons (5 more counters) and several admin,
improved position, sniper or leader counters. That stack
is just looking for an excuse to topple across the board.
Limiting stacking to two platoons sets a manageable
upper limit on what each hex holds.
3.02 Mounted infantry
Vehicles with their MP in green can
carry one infantry platoon. Getting
in and out of the vehicles is part of
the movement step for a formation,
and for convenience sake, both the
infantry and vehicles are usually part of the same
formation. If infantry in a hex is under such a
vehicle counter, they are assumed to be in the
vehicle, and this is how you keep track of where
they are. It costs half of the printed MP of the
infantry and vehicle (drop fractions) to mount or
dismount. As a special case, infantry that does not
have an action counter can always dismount from
a vehicle that has not moved or cannot move (like
an APC with an Action counter). You cannot
mount and dismount in the same action. You
cannot retreat (4.16) into or out of a vehicle.
Depending on what they do, infantry can act
before, after or at the same time as their vehicle.
Mounting is usually done in the same hex as the
vehicle. Dismounting is done in the same hex, or
the dismounting unit may expend the movement
points needed to dismount in an adjacent hex,
provided that hex is empty or has no more than 1
friendly unit in it (this allows 2 APCs in a hex to
dismount their infantry without exceeding stacking
limits for the hex the APCs are in).
9
example: If this infantry wanted to
get into the shown APC, it would
cost the infantry 1MP and 3MP
for the APC. So, the APC could
start in the same hex as the
infantry and then move, or
move a few hexes to allow the
infantry to mount up.
If the infantry started the
impulse in the APC, they could
dismount into the same hex
for 1MP, or dismount directly
2 FT
into the adjacent hex for 2MP
(1MP for dismounting, +1MP for
the cost to move into a light urban
hex).
You can dismount into an enemy-occupied
adjacent hex, which immediately initiates close
combat. If a vehicle has sufficient movement, it
7
can dismount infantry into its own hex and then
the infantry and vehicle can move together into
close combat. You cannot move into an enemy hex
and then dismount for close combat.
A
For combat purposes, carried infantry normally
01
suffers 1 less action step than the vehicle does
from any damage it takes. So, a vehicle Pinned as
a result of combat means the infantry inside takes
an Action penalty. Infantry that survives a vehicle
DR
being destroyed is assumed to be outside the
wreck counter left by the vehicle and this takes no
action nor gives an action step. Note that this can
only happen if the vehicle is exactly destroyed. If
the vehicle takes more steps than are neccesary
to destroy it, the infantry is also lost.
3.03 Moving fire
Units may move and fire or fire and move as their
action, but if you intent to shoot and scoot, you
need to declare how much movement you will use
after firing (because how much moving will be a
modifier on the quality of your attack).
If you have declared move and fire, opportunity
fire against you upon your entering a hex happens
first and resolves, then your declared fire can take
place.
3.04 Close combat
If a unit or units move into the same hex as
enemy units, close combat happens. This resolves
immediately and is why units would choose to
move together rather than separately. Infantry in a
vehicle does not participate in close combat. Close
combat is detailed at 4.3.
A few notes on reality
GeddonWar is a simulation game, but there are a few
aspects where the simulation bumps into limits of the
medium and practicality.
turns: In actual combat the situation is very fluid and
everything is happening at the same time. No one is
taking turns. The notion of action steps or similar
things in other games simply reflects that a unit may
have its attention focused elsewhere at a particular
moment in time. You might be busy fighting that guy
during the time that other guy pulls into view and
starts hammering you.
scale: GeddonWar operates on a fairly standard scale
of approximately 150 meter hexes and 15 minutes for a
cycle through formation actions. But modern anti-tank
weapons have effective ranges of several kilometers
(bigger than the map!), and have been used at such
ranges in things like the Battle of 73 Easting. In the
interest of keeping useful ranges smaller than the map
and making infantry useful on the map scale, vehicle
weaponry has had its range nerfed a bit.
Similarly, infantry at a jog could make it halfway across
the map in 15 minutes, and in the real world troops
approaching a fight on foot or in vehicles do eat up the
map. We nod to this by having a special movement
rate for units that choose to move without due caution
instead of the normal eyeing the route ahead and
cautiously moving from one point to another.
aggression: GeddonWar units are just pieces of
cardboard. The people they represent are not so keen
on being thrown into harms way as their commanders
might want. In the real world, a series of battles that
resulted in typical wargame casualties would result in
both sides having their entire armies eliminated within
a month or two. GeddonWar recognizes that damaged
and eliminated units seldom mean the destruction of a
platoon, but instead are more of a total demoralization
combined with the survivors using the aforementioned
movement rate to simply exit the scene and not return.
If a forty-man platoon has lost half its men, it is likely
that the remainder use their theoretical ability to jog 15
hexes in a turn to get the hell out of town (or surrender
or hole up and let someone else do the lets get shot at
bit for a while). They are not all dead, but for all combat
purposes they are eliminated.
firepower: If some units look like they have zero
chance of harming another unit, this is deliberate.
Some attacks can only be effective when units combine
fire, flank attack or dive into bloody close combat.
So, take these into consideration when considering
GeddonWar as a realistic game, and have fun!
10
4.0 Combat
Most combat is going to be in the form of fire,
counter-fire, opportunity fire or close combat, with
special case rules for artillery, mines or IEDs.
A very important part of the GeddonWar rules is
the assumption that an enemy that can shoot
back effectively is likely to do so. You do not just
drive up and go surprise! while the other guy sits
there and takes it. Because the attacker can place
themselves at risk by making an attack, you do
not simply shoot because you have a shot, and the
game mechanics reward those who utilize effective
2 FT
tactics to minimize this vulnerability.
The special dice for GeddonWar come in three
flavors, black (default), green (weak) and red
(strong). The basic rules to remember for how
many dice you roll and what type are simple:
How many dice?
7
start with black dice equal to your attack factor
subtract dice equal to defender armor, if this is
negative, count it as zero dice (this is important!)
A
add 1 die for each extra unit firing (up to +3 dice)
add 1 die if the attack is flanking (4.163)
01
you never get to roll more than 6 dice
What type of dice?
total all the modifiers for the attacker and defender
(terrain, range, etc.)
DR
if positive, upgrade that many black dice to red
if negative, downgrade that many black dice to
green
because of the way upgrades and downgrades
work, you will never roll more than 2 colors of dice.
If you are, you are doing something wrong.
if all dice are red or green and there are still
upgrades/downgrades to be applied, they are lost
example: If you had an attack factor of 4 against a
defense of 1 and the defender was in terrain with a +1
defensive modifier, you start with 3 black dice (attack
minus defense), and they would be 2 black and 1
green (the +1 terrain benefit downgraded 1 black die
to green).
4.1 Fire combat
Most fire combat uses the same steps to resolve,
so keep that in mind for later fire topics. Fire
combat has several common-sense steps, some
of which are listed purely for formalitys sake:
check firer status
declare target
check range
determine line of sight
determine firepower
defender declares counter-fire, withdraw or retreat
determine attack/defense modifiers
roll for attack and defender countefire (if any)
assign damage
4.11 Firer status
A unit can only initiate or support an attack
(regular or opportunity fire) if it has no action
counter on it. It can counter-fire (4.161) in any
case, but the maximum number of hits it can get
is reduced by the firepower modifier on the action
counter. For instance, a unit with an Action
marker takes a -1 to its printed firepower if it
counter-attacks when fired upon.
4.12 Declare target
If there is more than one unit in the target hex,
you declare one of them as the target of your
attack. Mounted infantry (3.02) cannot be targeted
but may suffer combat effects if the vehicle they
are riding in takes damage.
4.13 Range
Obviously, an attack needs to be within the range
of the attackers weapons. Similarly, counter-fire
requires that the defender have sufficient range to
shoot back.
example: The BMP-2
has a range of 4 and the
Rebel militia has a range
of 1 (extended range of
2). If the BMP-2 is at a
range of 3 or more, the
Rebels cannot counter-fire.
Close range (half, dropping fractions) is a +2 die
modifier (stronger) and extended range (up to
double) is a -2 die modifier (weaker). Remember
that this does not adjust the number of dice
rolled, just the type of dice rolled.
note: Units in close combat or with a range of 1 or 0 do
not get a short range bonus. And remember that units
with a red circle around their range number do not have
extended range and get no bonus for short range.
11
Reality note LOS through blocked? note
A smart commander will always try to minimize an road n/a use terrain road is in
enemys ability to shoot back. Engaging at long range clear no
if your range is superior (like the Battle of 73 Easting cultivated no
(1991)), or softening up infantry with some judicious soft sand no
shelling before sending in your own troops. Charging dunes yes level 0 obstacle
across open ground just because it is your impulse to rough yes level 0 obstacle
act may not be a good idea in GeddonWar. light woods yes level 0 obstacle
dense woods yes level 0 obstacle
4.14 Line of sight light urban yes level 0 obstacle
This is usually abbreviated as LOS. Everyone dense urban yes level 0 obstacle
involved in a direct fire attack needs to be able to marsh no
see the people they are shooting at. river no

2 FT
wadi yes not within wadi
LOS is determined from the center of one hex to elevation change yes in both directions
the center of another. LOS does not include the crest yes in both directions
terrain in the hex the attack is made from, nor the fence no
hex the target is in. For instance, urban terrain wreck no
blocks LOS, but you can shoot from one urban hex
into another urban hex, provided there are no road: You use the terrain the road is in for LOS
hexes in between that block LOS. A side effect of determination. Even a straight line road on the

7
this is that you can always shoot into an adjacent map can have gentle curves that would allow a
hex. blocking terrain to affect LOS.

Each hex is assumed to have the full value of all its wadi: Hexes within a wadi that have an LOS not
A
terrain features over the entire hex, not just the touching any non-wadi hexes can see each other
and a wadi hex can see adjacent non-wadi hexes

01
actual silhouettes of trees or buildings or whatever.
So, if a line of sight crosses a hex that would block
it, a direct fire attack cannot be made. If an LOS
passes exactly down the border of a hex that
would block LOS, fire is not blocked unless the LOS
like they had a level of increased elevation. That
is, you can see other people who are on the edge
of the wadi next to you and any unobstructed
distance within the wadi.
DR

passes down two or more such borders.

elevation: If you are on a hex with a contour line
you can see uphill to the next contour line, along
the same level of elevation provided there are no
other blocking terrains, and downhill and over
lower level obstacles (4.141). That is, if you are
lower than an elevation you can see into the hex
with the contour line but no further, and vice
versa.

crest: A crest line is just

enough of an elevation
change that it affects line
of sight. If you are on a
crest line you can treat it
as being on a narrow hill
that only occupies the
crestline hexes.
example: The red unit can see the blue and green units
but not the gold or black ones. The gold unit can see example: This unit can see
the green and blue units but not the red or black ones. everything except the two
The blue unit can see and be seen by all the other units hexes shaded in red. The
except the black one, and the black unit cannot see or red hexes are downhill
be seen by any of the other units. from P9 and thus blocked.

12
4.141 Obstacle height
Geddon War assumes that things which can block
LOS have a certain height. The normal ground
level is considered level 0. Things which are on
the ground and which mostly block LOS between
ground units are level 0 obstacles. Examples
would be woods, urban, dunes and crest lines.
Some obstacles block all line of sight from any
height, like smoke.
Hills are level 1, level 2 and rarely level 3, and a starburst in a different color, representing a
and are marked by a contour line in that hex. A
depression or wadi would be level -1 and simply
2 FT
treats all surrounding areas as 1 level higher
(someone in a wadi can only see or be seen from
higher level hexes that are adjacent).
Level 0 obstacles in a hex can be seen over by
units on hills of level 1 or more, but provide a +1
defensive terrain bonus to any unit in adjacent
level 0 hexes if the LOS passes over the obstacle.
7
This is in addition to any normal benefit for that
terrain. All of this is nit-picky yet important
because the people in your units are not keen on
A
being shot at and will try to take advantage of any
and all cover they can get.
01
example: The BMP-2 is on a level 1 hill
and is shooting over some buildings (a
level 0 obstacle) at a target in the open,
1 hex past the buildings. The defender is
DR
assumed to get +1 defensive terrain
against the attack. They are not in an
actual defensive terrain for rules that
require this, but they do get a defensive
benefit because the buildings partially
obstruct fire and visibility.
example: The same attack is made,
but the unit past the buildings is in a
cultivated hex. The defender gets a +2
defensive terrain bonus, +1 for the
cultivated terrain and +1 for the obstructed
view because of the buildings. Since they
are in a terrain that provides a defensive
benefit, any normal rules regarding such a
terrain do apply.
4.15 Determine firepower
The base firepower of a unit is its printed value.
This value is then reduced by the defense of the
target. If the result is zero or less, you count it as
zero. Results of zero cannot actually do anything,
but are a base level that can have dice added to it
by combining fire with other units.
4.151 Specialized attacks & defenses
Most units have a firepower number in one color
primary and secondary firepower type. Some units
have the number and starburst in the same color.
These are dedicated for a particular role, and are
not good at anything else. A shaped charge anti-
tank rocket might be an example, something you
would not normally use against infantry. Some
defenses have a number and a shield that are the
same color. These are defenses optimized against
that type of attack. A tank with reactive armor
would be an example. A target with an appropriate
specialized defense gets +2 to its defense rating.
This is not a dice type modifier, but is +2 to the
printed defense value against attacks where the
firepower/starburst are also that color.
example: A Konkurs has a specialized
attack value of 6 (gold number on gold
starburst). The T72B1 has an armor of
3, but it is specialized against that type
of attack so it counts as an armor of 5.
So, the Konkurs would roll 1 die for its
attack (attack of 6 minus defense of 5).
The Armata has a normal anti-vehicle
attack of 6 (gold number on red
starburst). If firing on the T72B1 it
would roll 3 dice for its attack (attack of
6 minus defense of 3). The specialized
defense of the T72B1 offers no extra
benefit against the generalized anti-
vehicle attack of the Armata. For
instance, the Armata could be firing
armor-piercing solid penetrators that
are unaffected by reactive armor plates.
4.152 Improved positions
A unit in an improved position that
matches its defense color gets a +1
to its printed defense value, which
means that attacks against it will
roll 1 less die. Only one improved
position can be in a hex and it affects all units
with that type of defense in that hex. Improved
positions are removed from play if any unit using it
is eliminated (e.g. your improved vehicle positions
are filled with flaming wrecks).
13
4.153 Intensive fire (optional) 4.161 Determine offense modifiers
An attacker who does not move may declare Determine the total for all modifiers on the attack
intensive fire. This does not grant any extra dice, and adjust the dice colors accordingly. The table
but is a +2 dice modifier (stronger). The penalty is below lists most of the modifiers and a full version
that this costs you 2 extra action steps, so you go is on the combat reference sheet. All positive
from ready to Shaken, and this makes you more numbers make the attack dice stronger, all
vulnerable if you can be counter-attacked or negative ones make the attack dice weaker.
attacked before you get a chance to recover. This
is a measure only for the desperate and those with defender in terrain
superior range and good logistics. infantry wheeled tracked
road +1 +1 +1
4.16 Declare defense status clear +0 +0 +0
Depending on their action status and the terrain cultivated -1 +0 +0

2 FT
they are, the target of an attack can just take it soft sand -1 +0 +0
(no dice modifier), counter-fire, or retreat. dunes -2 -1 -1
rough -2 -2 -2
counter-fire: Available to any unit of the non- light woods -1 -1 -1
acting player, even if it has Action, Pinned or dense woods -2 -1 -1
Shaken marker. That is, the units of the currently light urban -1 +0 +0
acting formation do not counter-fire if fired upon. dense urban -2 -1 -1
Counter-fire just means you are shooting back at marsh -1 +0 +0

7
your attacker and we will detail how this works at river +1 +1 +1
rule 4.171, but the short form is that the attacker wadi -1 +0 +0
gets a +1 dice modifier (stronger) since you are elevation change(up) -1 -1 -1
A
choosing to stay where the enemy can see you so crest +0 +0 +0
that you can shoot back at them. flank move +all +all +all

01
retreat: Available to any unit that is in a terrain
that reduces the attack quality against it and
which does not have a Pinned or Shaken marker.
The unit must be able to leave the hex it is in, and
fence
wreck
+1
-1
+1
-1
+1
-1

defender situational
infantry wheeled tracked
DR

move to an adjacent one that is not in enemy tech (dis)advantage 1 1 1

LOS. Retreat is always away from the attacker in
the sense that the range to the attacker cannot
decrease from the retreat. The unit foregoes
any chance at counter-fire and this is worth an
additional -2 die modifier (weaker) over the terrain
they were in. Basically, you take some of the
attack and then decide to bug out.
note: A special case is if infantry is
equipped with a support weapon that
has a no move notation. This type of
support weapon is unwieldy and cannot
be quickly dismounted for transport. If
the infantry unit using it chooses to
retreat, the support weapon is destroyed
and removed from play.
A unit fired upon while moving may retreat, but
only if they have sufficient movement points left to
move back into the hex they just exited. The
movement of the unit ends after the retreat and
they lose any fire part of any move & fire action
they might have declared. A reason to advance
into fire only to run away is as a feint, to make an
enemy commit firepower so that a different unit
can advance unopposed.
moving fire -1/-2/-3 -1/-2/-3 -1/-2/-3
counter-fire +1 +1 +1
retreat -2 -2 -2
technology: The red, black or green lightning bolt
on the center right of a counter represents the
training, supply level and overall technology base
of the unit, red being the best and green being the
worst. For each point of tech difference between
attacker and defender, you get a 1 dice modifier.
That is, if the attacker is better, their dice are
stronger and if the attacker is worse, their dice are
weaker.
example: With no other modifiers, the
T-72 rolls 2 dice against the Rebel T-55,
and it would be 1 red and 1 black die
because the T-72 has a 1 point tech
advantage. The T-55 rolls 1 die against
the T-72 and it would be 1 green die,
because the T-55 has a 1 point tech
disadvantage.
14
A lot of the hardware in GeddonWar is superficially
the same, but with noticeable differences in quality. A
T72 has the same 125mm gun as a T64 and an M1A2
exported to Saudi Arabia has the same 120mm gun as
an M1A3 used by the USA. But the ammunition the
Russians sell for export T72s is not as good as what
they use for themselves, and the USA does not sell
depleted uranium penetrators to anyone else. There are
also differences in the quality of night vision equipment,
targeting aids, armor quality and so on. Many Russian
vehicles with an M suffix are known as Mickey Mouse
versions because the export models have less capable
fire control and other features. Similarly, some of the
2 FT
forces in GeddonWar are badly out of date and/or
poorly trained. They are still using T55s in Syria, and
even old T34-85s were pulled off of war monument
pedestals and put back in service in the conflict in
Ukraine in 2015. The use of tech modifiers recognizes
these differences plus varying personnel quality and
operational doctrines.
7
moving fire: We mentioned that units can do a
move & fire or fire & move action. If you use all
your movement points before making an attack,
your attack takes a -3 dice modifier (weaker).
A
If you use at least half but less than all your
movement points, your attack takes a -2 dice
01
modifier, and if you use less than half of your
movement points your attack takes a -1 dice
modifier.
DR
If you are doing a fire & move, you must declare
before firing how many movement points you
intend to use after firing. This is used to figure the
modifier on your attack. You do not have to use all
the declared movement points, but you cannot use
more than the declared movement points.
road: If you are fired on while using the faster
movement rate for roads (or have no other choice
but to use the road to get through a terrain),
you are in the open and have limited options for
concealment. This is a +1 die modifier (stronger).
If fired on while moving, you can retreat if the
terrain the road is going through has a defensive
benefit, but you are still counted as being on the
road for combat modifiers.
river: Whether you are in a river in an amphibious
vehicle or are crossing a river on a road, it is a
vulnerable position. A road over a river is a bridge
and gives the attack made against a target there a
total +2 die modifier (stronger).
note: If you end your movement on a bridge over a
river, the modifier for attacks on you after moving is
still +1 (you count as being on the road).
flank move: If you are using the flank movement
rate and are attacked, the attacker gets a +1 die
modifier (stronger) on all their dice. This also
applies if someone calls in indirect fire on you
while using flank movement. You are moving in a
hurry and not taking advantage of cover.
fence: If you are in hex with a fence, whether it
is intact or breached, attacks on you get a +1 die
modifier (stronger) because you are either limited
in your movement because of the fence or an
easier target because you are using a narrow
breach that funnels your platoon as you use it.
4.162 Combined fire
Two or more units in the same formation can
mount a joint attack. First, you define the unit that
is leading the attack, then for other units check if:
the target is in LOS of all units. In the case of units
with indirect fire capability, only one of the units
needs to have LOS
all of the units combining fire are in the same or
closer range band as the lead unit (close, normal,
extended). Units without close or extended range
(1.312) count as all ranges
Combined fire increases the firepower of the attack
by 1 die for each extra unit involved, up to a
maximum of +3 dice. This is not a die modifier.
Remember that the minimum firepower of an
attack by 1 unit is zero dice, so a combined fire
attack will allow inferior units to get a roll when
normally they would have none. Combined fire is
only possible during your formations turn to act
(you cannot combine fire with opportunity fire).
note: If a defender chooses to counter-fire, they may
do so against any one of the units involved in the
combined fire attack.
4.163 Flanking
If combined fire enters the target hex from two
different hex sides, you are laying some of that
fire into a less protected arc for the defender and
this is worth an additional extra die for each
additional hex (not unit) flanking fire comes from.
example: Two units in hex A
making a combined attack on C
would get +1 die on the attack. A
unit in hex A combining with a unit
in hex B would get +2 dice,
+1 for combined fire and another
+1 for flanking.
15
4.17 Roll for attack/counter-fire
This is where the rubber meets the road. Take
your dice, alter the type if needed because of
attack or defense circumstances and roll them.
The dice have a combination of starbursts, shields
and blank faces. A starburst is a strike for the
attacker and a shield is a strike for the defender
if they are doing counter-fire (we will get to that in
a moment).
There is a difference between strikes and
hits, and this is based on firepower and
defense colors:
2 FT
if the attack number and defense shield are the
same color, each strike is 1 hit (e.g. red attack
number vs. red shield)
if the attack starburst and defense shield are
the same color, each 2 strikes (drop fractions) is 1 hit
(e.g. red attack starburst vs. red shield).
if neither the primary or secondary firepower color is
7
the same as the defense shield, each 3 strikes (drop
fractions) is 1 hit (e.g. gold attack number on gold
starburst vs. red shield)
A
if the defense shield is gray, it automatically counts
as matching the primary attack color (i.e. each strike
01
is 1 hit)
example: Both the infantry and the
BMP-2 have a firepower of 3 and a
defense of 1. If the BMP-2 attacked
DR
it would roll 2 black dice (attack of
3 minus defense of 1) and each
starburst on the dice would be a hit
on the infantry (red number (primary
attack) vs red shield). If the infantry
was the attacker, it would also roll 2
black dice, but each 2 starbursts would
be a hit on the BMP-2 (gold starburst
(secondary attack) vs. gold shield).
4.171 Counter-fire
Counter-fire means that instead of withdrawing or
hunkering down, you are actively returning fire on
your attacker. This gives the attacker a +1 die
modifier, so you only choose this option if you
think you can hurt your attacker by doing so.
Counter-fire is only allowed for the non-active
player. That is, if it is your turn to move and one
of your units is shot at while moving, you do not
get to counter-fire. If a defender chooses counter-
fire, the maximum number of hits they can do to
the attacker is their attack value:
minus the attackers defense value
minus any action penalties (action, depleted, shaken)
minus 1 if the attacker has any defensive terrain
This number can easily be zero, meaning that
there is no point to counter-fire in that case. Note
that for the sake of simplicity we do not apply tech
differences to the counter-fire calculation.
The number of shields on the attackers dice is the
number of strikes the defender does with counter-
fire, and these convert to hits in the same way as
the attackers starbursts do.
example: The BMP-2 is attacking and
the Militia with the RPG-7 is choosing to
counter-fire. Because the defenders
firepower is 4 and the attackers defense
is 1, the maximum number of hits the
defenders counter-fire can do is 3. If
there were no other modifiers, the
attacker would roll 2 dice (attack of 3
vs. Militias defense of 1). The roll is
1 red and 1 black die because the
attacker gets a +1 die type upgrade
for a defender choosing counter-fire:
This is 2 strikes from the attacker on the defender and
2 strikes from the counter-fire back at the attacker.
Because each side is using primary firepower (number
color (primary attack) vs. shield color)), each strike is
1 hit. So, the attacker takes 1 action step for making
the attack and takes 2 more from counter-fire, and the
defender takes 2 action steps from the attack. The final
result is that the BMP-2 is Shaken and the Militia is
Pinned.
Counterfire is not an action. The penalty you take
for counterfire is the +1 die type modifier the
attacker gets for you sticking your foolish head out
and shooting back.
Counterfire is always optional and may not always
be possible or even a good idea. A unit may be
under attack from a position that is out of range
of its own weapons or not have sufficient firepower
to harm the attacker either through unit inferiority
or because they have action steps reducing their
effective firepower value. A smart attacker will
try to make enemy counterfire opportunities as
useless as possible. Sometimes it is better to
Retreat (4.16) and sometimes you just have to
take it. War is unfair that way sometimes.
16
4.17 Assign damage
Geddon War uses a fairly simple progression when
a unit acts, takes a hit or hits:
Action(-1)
Pinned(-2)
Shaken(-3)
Step loss
These losses are progressive, so if you already
have a result, you take the next highest result you
do not have. You are never any combination of
the first three. A step loss means you flip the
2 FT
unit over to its reduced side. If you take a
step loss and the unit is already reduced, it is
eliminated (vehicles are replaced with a wreck
counter).
example: If you were moving you would get an Action
marker when you were done. If you were attacked
while moving and took 3 hits, your unit would be
7
Shaken. Then you would take your Action penalty
after moving and take a step loss, ending up Shaken
and reduced.
A
example: If your unit has acted already (Action
01
counter) and it takes 1 hit, it gets a Pinned counter.
If it was already Pinned, the Pinned counter is
upgraded to Shaken and if it was already Shaken
it takes a step loss. If it was Shaken and had a step
loss and took a hit, it would be eliminated.
DR
Since most units have only one step loss (the flip
side of the counter), taking five hits before you get
a chance to recover morale will eliminate the unit
(Action, Pinned, Shaken, step loss, eliminated).
The idea is that the more your unit is doing and having
done to it, the more it is used up and has to recover.
Given time, a unit that is Shaken can fully recover.
Combat in GeddonWar is about either hitting so hard
you eliminate a target in an alpha strike, or whittling
them down with multiple attacks over several turns,
forcing them to retreat out of positions that you want
and they can no longer hold, or just keeping them
demoralized long enough for you to acheive your
military objective. You might not be able to eliminate
an enemy anti-tank position, but as long as you can
keep them from shooting at you it is almost as good. It
requires a different strategy than most games at this
scale, and a little bit of patience.
4.2 Special combat situations
The previous rules cover the most common
combat situations. The following rules cover the
rest, with close combat having its own section.
4.21 Opfire
Or opportunity fire. This is where a unit able to
initiate an attack (no Action , Pinned or Shaken
counter) fires on someone else during their
formation action. This is done in response to
moving or announcing an intent to move. Yes,
your opponent can say Im going to move this
unit and you say I shoot him first. Only one unit
may opportunity fire per enemy unit per hex
of movement (no combined fire with opfire).
Opportunity fire does generate an Action step for
the unit doing it, so you can only do so once.
example: If you have a stack of 2 units and a stack of
2 enemy units moves into your line of sight, 1 of your
units can fire on 1 of the enemy units in 1 hex, and if
the enemy stack continues to move, your other unit can
fire on 1 of the enemy units (the same enemy unit or a
different one) in the next hex.
note: Announcing an intent to move is important. It
means if someone is right next to you and says they
want to move into your hex to do assault combat, you
get to shoot at them before they get to you, assuming
you have a unit eligible to do so.
example: Player 1 has
infantry at B and C, and
Player 2 has a ready 2
infantry at A. Player 2 can
declare Opfire if:
3 1
1) C announces an intent
to move adjacent to X
2) after it moves to the
open area adjacent to X
3) or after it moves into X
Player 2 can also
announce Opfire if B
announces an intent to
move into A and initiate
close combat. That is, A is ready and waiting for B to
come out of the woods. However, any Opfire means
that A would get an Action counter, so it could not
Opfire on B and C unless that hex had two ready
infantry. Tactically speaking, B is pinning down A with
its presence. If A shoots at C when it dashes across the
open, it means that B can move into As hex and initiate
close combat without any fear of being shot at on the
way there.
17
4.3 Close combat
If your ground units are occupying the same hex
as enemy ground units, close combat ensues
(close combat is only possible between ground
units). This happens immediately, so if you desire
to have multiple attackers, they need to move
together as per rule 3.0. Close combat does not
have a fire/counter-fire mechanic. Rather, each
side gets a separate die roll to determine their
effect on the other. Close combat is resolved as
follows:
determine leading unit (4.31)
2 FT
determine type of combat (4.32)
adjust firepower type (4.33)
determine number of dice rolled (4.33)
apply close combat modifiers (4.34)
resolve combat & admin (4.35)
4.31 Leading units
If a side has more than one unit in the fight,
7
players respectively declare (attacker first) which
one is leading the attack or defense. This makes a
difference for combat modifiers and also which unit
A
takes the first hit from any damage dealt. The lead
attacker is targeting the lead defender, though all
01
units can be affected by the results (this can
make a difference when applying firepower color
to defense color) All later modifiers apply to the
lead unit on a side. If a side only has one unit, that
unit is by default the leading unit.
DR
4.32 Determine type of combat
There are a pair of double-sided counters for close
combat. One reads push and envelop (for the
attacker) and the other reads hold and retreat
(for the defender).
push: You are trying to evict the enemy from the
hex. If you do more hits than you take, the enemy
must retreat if possible, otherwise the enemy unit(s)
are eliminated.
envelop: You are trying to surround and eliminate
the enemy. If the enemy does not choose retreat and
you do not eliminate all enemy units, you must
retreat back to the hex you entered close combat
from if possible.
hold: You are trying to retain control of the hex at all
costs.
retreat: You are automatically ceding control of the
hex to the enemy.
Each player hides the tactic they are using behind
their hand and then reveal them simultaneously.
The combination of the two gives a dice modifier
for each persons roll. Remember that a positive
DM increases dice strength and a negative one
weakens dice strength.
attacker
defender push envelop
hold attacker: +2DM attacker: +1DM
defender: +2DM defender: +0DM
retreat attacker: +0DM attacker: -2DM
defender: +1DM defender: -2DM
4.33 Adjust firepower and type
As a default, each side calculates the dice they
would roll just as for ranged combat, which
includes +1 die for combined fire (but not flanking
fire) if there are two units on a side. Support
weapons with a no move notation cannot be used
by the attacker in close combat. A lead unit with a
support weapon they can use may choose to use
its firepower benefit or not, depending on the
situation.
There are couple of major exceptions to this. First,
infantry units have a minimum die roll of 1 die (not
zero dice), regardless of the defense value of the
enemy lead unit. Second, if infantry is the lead
unit against a force of only vehicles in light urban
terrain, the infantry gets +1 die, or +2 dice in
dense urban terrain. Conversely, if a vehicle is the
lead unit against a force of only infantry in terrain
with no defensive benefit for infantry, the vehicle
gets +1 die.
example: In an dense urban close
combat situation between these units,
the T-55 would roll 3 dice (its firepower
minus the Rebel defense) and the
infantry would roll 3 dice (they get a
minimum of 1 die, then +2 dice for
fighting a vehicle-only force in dense
urban terrain.
On the other hand, if this close combat
took place in the open, the T-72 would
roll 4 dice and the Rebel infantry would
only roll 1 die.
In addition, infantry leading units are assumed to
have the same attack type as the defenders shield
color. For instance, infantry attacking a vehicle
counts as the same primary attack color as the
vehicles shield color (i.e. one strike = one hit).
example: In both cases in the previous example, the
vehicle is rolling as anti-armor firepower against a
infantry defense (2 strikes to get 1 hit) and the
infantry counts as anti-armor firepower against an
armor defense (1 strike to get 1 hit).
18
4.34 Apply close combat modifiers
Close combat has three possible dice modifiers.
Moving to engage in close combat is not a
modifier, and the action step involved is applied
after combat results.
tactics: As previously described (4.32).
tech: If there is a difference in tech lightning bolt
color between lead units, whichever side has the
better tech gets a +1 or +2 dice modifier, depending
on the degree of tech advantage.
terrain: The lead attacker compares the terrain
modifier for the hex they entered combat from to the
2 FT
modifier for the lead defender in the hex where the
combat is taking place. If there is a difference in
defensive modifiers, the side with the better
defensive terrain gets a +1 dice modifier. That is,
attacking a defensive terrain from the open is worse
than attacking into the open from defensive terrain.
4.35 Resolve combat & admin
7
The attacker rolls their dice and counts the strikes,
then the defender, but results are simultaneous.
Remember that you convert strikes to hits based
A
on the firepower type of the lead unit. The first hit
is done to the lead unit on that side, and further
01
hits alternate between units. Afterwards, each
attacker gets an Action step (effectively, for a
move & fire action) and the lead defender gets an
action step.
DR
Apply damage and then check the type of combat
to see who has to leave the hex and who gets to
stay. A defender retreating has to obey stacking
limits and within that, must retreat to one of the
three hexes away from the attack and if possible
to a hex with a defensive terrain for at least one of
the retreating units. A retreating attacker usually
goes back to where they came from, and if this is
not possible, then to a hex adjacent to this.
example: Two militia (FP of 3, DEF
of 1), assault a T-72 platoon (FP of
5, DEF of 3) from dense urban
terrain into dense urban terrain
(-2 for infantry, -1 for vehicles).
step 1: Lead units. The infantry
units are identical and there is
only one defender, so this is
simple.
step 2: Type of combat. The
militia does not want the tanks to
get away, so they choose envelop.
The tanks foolishly have orders to
hold, so that is what they choose.
step 3: Adjust firepower and type. Even though
the infantry has less firepower than the T-55s
defense, they get a minimum of 1 die. They get
+1 die for the second infantry, and +2 extra dice
for attacking an unsupported tank in dense urban
terrain. So, they will be rolling 4 dice. The T-55 is
simply rolling 4 dice for its firepower minus the
infantry defense. The Rebel militia is assumed to
be rolling anti-armor firepower against an armor
defense, while the T-55 is rolling anti-armor
firepower against an infantry defense.
step 4: Close combat modifiers. Combatants get
the following dice modifiers:
tactics: Envelop vs. hold gives attacker +1DM
Envelop vs. hold gives defender +0DM
tech: The T-72 has a tech advantage for a +1DM
terrain: Even though the militia entered dense urban
terrain from dense urban terrain, this is better for
infantry than vehicles, so the militia gets +1DM.
So, the militia will be rolling 4 dice and they will be
2 red and 2 black dice (4 black dice after a +2DM
is applied) and the T-72 platoon will be rolling 4
dice and they will be 1 red and 3 black dice (3
black dice after a +1DM is applied)
step 5: Resolve combat. The attacker rolls 2 red
and 2 black dice and the defender rolls 1 red and 3
black die. Each side gets 3 strikes on the other:
attacker:
defender:
The difference is that the infantry firepower (anti-
armor attack on armor defense) does 3 hits to
the T-72 and the vehicle firepower (anti-armor
attack on infantry defense) only does 1 hit to the
infantry because it takes 2 strikes for each hit by
secondary firepower. This makes the T-72 Shaken
(3 hits) and the lead Militia gets an Action marker
(1 hit). Then, both attackers and the lead defender
get 1 additional Action step. This causes a step
reduction for the T-72, changes 1 Militia to Pinned
and the other to Action. The militia must retreat
from the hex because they chose envelop but did
not totally eliminate the defenders.
19
5.0 Advanced rules
Everything up to this point has been rules that
apply to virtually every unit in the game. The rules
that follow are going to be uncommon, but when
they do show up, tactically important.
5.1 Indirect fire
Units with their range number in a
black circle are capable of indirect
fire. This just means they can shoot
at targets they do not have LOS to,
as long as a non-Shaken unit in that
formation does have LOS.
2 FT
Providing this targeting information is not an
action. Indirect fire is figured normally except for
the LOS part, but the attack takes an extra -2 dice
modifier (weaker). Units which can utilize indirect
fire may be part of a combined fire attack (4.162)
or flanking attack (4.163), and can opfire (4.21)
on units outside their LOS. If used in combination
7
with other units, an indirect fire attack only takes
the -2 dice modifier if the indirect fire unit is the
lead unit for the attack.
A
You cannot do counter-fire against a unit using
01
indirect fire unless the defender also has indirect
fire capability. You cannot do counter-fire at all if
the indirect fire comes from off the board (5.2).
Elevation does not provide any defensive benefit
against indirect fire of any type, including off-
DR
board artillery.
5.2 Off-board artillery
Formations may have the ability to
call in attacks from mortars, rocket
rocket launchers, artillery or even
cruise missiles, with or without
submunitions or precision guidance.
All of them have some common characteristics.
They have a primary and secondary firepower
color, a firepower that applies in the main hex that
is targeted, and a firepower that applies to all the
surrounding hexes. They also have a tech lightning
bolt to indicate the quality of the artillery.
Normally, a scenario will give one or both sides
artillery counters that are placed in the cup and
which resolve when drawn. This will not count as a
formation action for determining scenario length. A
scenario might also give a player artillery counters
as a reserve, to be used at any time or used as
part of a particular formations actions.
Off-board artillery applies its firepower separately
to each target in all hexes, including friendly units
that happen to be caught in it.
5.21 Unguided rockets
This is exactly what it sounds like.
Their firepower tends to be less
concentrated and spread over a
larger area.
5.22 Precision munitions
This is a guided artillery barrage or
guided rocket (perhaps only one)
that is called in against a particular
unit. This is usually through some
combination of optical recognition,
GPS and laser or microwave target designation.
This attack only affects the specific unit targeted
and has no effect on other units in the same or
adjacent hexes. You cannot retreat (4.16) from
this attack.
5.23 Tailored munitions
This is an artillery or guided rocket
barrage that distributes a payload
of hundreds of submunitions. These
are either designed to affect vehicles
with top-piercing shaped charges, or
to fill the area with fragmentation munitions to
affect unprotected infantry.
Note that because their firepower and starburst
color are the same color, they are less effective
against anything except their primary target.
Also, any specialized defenses against that attack
type will apply (4.151).
5.24 Smoke/dust (optional)
Rockets, artillery and mortars can
generate enough dust and smoke
to block visibility. Any result of 3 or
more strikes against the unit(s) in a
hex (total for all units in a hex) puts
a smoke counter in that hex. This blocks all
LOS into or through that hex from any elevation
(exception:adjacent hexes can see into that hex).
Put a smoke counter into the cup with the same
number on it. The smoke counters on the map are
removed when that chit is drawn. If a scenario
calls for an actual smoke mission, no damage is
done, but if the strikes rolled are 1 or more, you
put a smoke counter in the hex.
5.25 Friendly fire (optional)
If you call in any form of strike that could hit your
own units, presumably they have advance warning
and get a -1 die modifier (weaker) against them, if
they are already in terrain that has an inherent -1
or better offensive die modifier. That is, they use
cover better because they know it is coming.
20
5.3 Limited munitions
A very small number of units have
a green circle around the range for
their attack value. This represents
a weapon or unit that may be
powerful, but is in such limited
quantities that it can only do a certain amount of
damage, or which has a slow enough rate of fire or
other factors such that it is unlikely to eliminate
and enemy unit in a single attack. For instance,
the counter shown might represent a single drone
with a pair of light anti-tank missiles. While it can
do some serious damage, 2 missiles is never going
Second, someone suspicious of a hex can do
recon by fire. A unit or units attacks the hex like
a normal attack against a target with a defense of
, applying the appropriate dice modifiers for the
terrain, etc. (this means you need a firepower of 4
or more, or two units firing on that hex). If the
result of this is at least 1 strike on that imaginary
target, all the off-map counters for that hidden
marker are revealed and put into play. Basically,
you did not hit anyone, but you made someone
jumpy enough that they revealed themselves.
Third, the scenario rules might define that hidden

2 FT
to eliminate a platoon of 4 vehicles.
A unit or support weapon with this characteristic
can never do more than 1 step loss from a combat
result. It might do several hits, but it cannot
eliminate a unit that has not taken a step loss.
example: If fired at a Shaken unit and it does 2 hits,
units are revealed at some point. For instance,
drone-based recon might provide an aerial view to
local commanders.
5.41 Snipers
Snipers are a unit (a team of 2 or 3
individuals) that are inherently
hidden in most scenarios where they

7
this would normally cause 2 step losses and eliminate are utilized. The hidden markers for
the unit. However, this weapon can do no more than 1 a sniper team can be placed in any
step loss, so the extra effect is wasted. terrain that provides a defensive benefit for
infantry. Whenever the sniper fires, the other
A
5.4 Hidden units player can point to one of the on-map hidden
markers and the other player has to remove it and

01
As part of a scenario, some units may be defined
as hidden. There are four Hidden counters in the
game, labeled A through D. You place the hidden
counters on the map in the appropriate hexes for
the setup, and just write down on a scrap of paper
reveal its contents, placing the sniper on the map
if the other player guessed correctly.

Snipers are automatically eliminated in close

DR

which units (if any) are under each counter on
the map. Make sure to take stacking limits into
account. Special features like improved positions
are also hidden if in the hex. A hex may contain
visible units and a Hidden counter.
combat and roll no dice in close combat. They do
not have a step loss side and cannot combine fire
or flank fire with other units.

example: If a scenario gave you 3 Hidden counters,

you could put 2 units, a support weapon and an
improved infantry position at A, a tank platoon at B
and nothing at all at C. And your opponent does not
know which is which until you reveal them by attacking
or they are revealed by other circumstances.

That is, a good commander can look at the terrain

and think thats a good spot for an enemy to hide
an anti-tank rocket and act accordingly. The
hidden marker on the map is the potential of
hostile units that makes the other player tread
warily.

Hidden units are revealed in one of three ways.

First, a hidden unit in the hex fires. This removes
the hidden marker and places all the units that are
actually there onto the map. A non-hidden unit in
the hex can fire or counter-fire without revealing
the hidden ones.

21
5.42 Improvised Explosive
Devices
Otherwise known as IEDs. These are
powerful, single-use explosive,
shaped charge or frag bombs placed
where an enemy is expected to go
and detonated remotely.
IEDs are placed as part of a scenario setup, and
are represented by hidden counters, one or more
of which is the real thing. The others are merely
suspicious objects and warrant investigation. IEDs
must be placed in road hexes, and if an IED
2 FT
Hidden marker is in a hex you must use road
movement if you enter that hex from a road hex-
side.
That is, the people placing the IED are taking
advantage of irrigation canals, ditches or other
natural or created choke points in a hex that you
must pass through to traverse the hex. Because
7
they are remotely detonated, the owning player
can choose to let units enter, leave or remain in
the hex without setting the IED off, but once the
A
IED is detonated, all the hidden counters for that
IED are removed.
01
A player can attempt to get rid of IEDs by moving
to an adjacent hex and firing on the suspicious
item using the recon by fire method of revealing
hidden units. If they reveal the actual IED, it
DR
detonates, does no harm and is removed from
play.
An IED can be commanded by a single individual,
so IEDs do not need to be associated with or
require a line of sight to any friendly units in order
to be detonated at the proper time.
22
5.5 Minefields
Minefields are generally not huge
expanses of dangerous terrain.
Rather, like IEDs they are designed
to harass anyone who uses the most
efficient means to get from one spot
to another. Simply the notion that there are mines
in an area slows people down, as no one wants to
get blowed up because they were in a hurry.
Unlike IEDs, mines are equal opportunity offenders
that will automatically attack any unit entering the
interdicted area.
A minefield counter represents a central hex
and the surrounding land hexes where there is a
probability of encountering mines. Infantry units
cannot trigger mines with a gold primary
firepower number, but vehicles can trigger mines
with a red primary firepower number.
The number for each hex is the number of dice
that are rolled when any land unit that can trigger
the mines enters the hex. You subtract your
defense from this firepower, and also subtract the
number of extra movement points you choose to
spend when entering the hex. If you go slow
enough, you can reduce the effective firepower to
where it rolls no dice (you take sufficient time to
scout a clear path).
example: Say a minefield hex with a firepower of 4
firepower has a 1MP cost to enter it. If you spend 3MP
to enter it (you are being extra cautious), the +2MP you
spent reduces the firepower to 2.
Theoretically, once someone has a clear path
through a minefield, others can follow. However,
this is the heat of combat and others entering the
hex might not enter from the same facing or even
be friendly, so there is no point in giving them a
clear path or trusting that a marked path is
actually clear. So, minefields apply to any ground
units that enter the hex, regardless of who or
when.
5.6 Air units
Air units are easy to distinguish from other units.
Their movement type is A (air) and they generally
have blue defense shields, and of course a vehicle
picture that does not look like any land unit.
Only 1 air unit can be in a hex, and air units do not
interact with ground units except to shoot at and
be shot by them. An air unit has an LOS like it is 1
level above the surrounding terrain (4.141) and
the range from an air unit to the ground is simply
the distance in hexes. An air unit able to see you
does count in Morale recovery (2.021) if you are
2 FT
in range of its weapons. All air units are always
moving and take no move & fire penalties.
Air units generally represent 1 vehicle and have
only 1 damage step. Anything that would cause a
step loss eliminates the unit. Air units that still
have an Action counter on them after the Morale
step (2.021) are removed from play (if you can go
7
250kph and are demoralized, you do not hang
around to get shot at some more). Whether or not
the unit can return to play is dependent on the
A
scenario.
5.61 Helicopters
01
Helicopters have only one damage
step but two sides to the counter.
One represents a hovering mode
which allows them to fire anti-tank
DR
guided missiles, and the other is a
manuever mode that allows them to use nose- or
pylon-mounted autocannon. You may flip from one
side to the other as the first thing the unit does as
part of its action, and it remains in that state until
it can initiate another action.
5.62 Drones
Drones are simply remotely piloted
air units. They usually have a limited
armament compared to a larger unit
like a helicopter, or may be single
use devices. The Harop drone is
simply a flying bomb. Once its usefulness as an
observation platform is done, it is crashed into a
target and detonated.
5.63 Ground attack fighters
These can generally fire from such a distance
and altitude that they are not even on the map
and thus cannot be shot at by units in play. A
side which will have support from ground attack
fighters will usually have this represented in the
form of one or more off-board artillery, rocket or
precision munition strikes.
5.7 Civilians
Battles in GeddonWar take place in
cities that were still active and full of
civilians going about their daily life.
An armored assault on an apartment
block full of rebels could be taking
place while ordinary people are driving down the
same freeway that APCs were unloading from and
tanks were attacking from (yes, there are online
videos of this exact thing happening). An infantry
firefight across a street could be between buildings
filled with cowering civilians.
Civilians are a complication in battles. With various
media reporting on the fighting and ubiquitous
mobile phones recording things, each side was
aware of political repurcussions and propaganda
effects if their own side was seen engaging in
indiscriminate slaughter of non-combatants.
How civilians are placed, move and respond will
be part of a scenarios setup, but their effects on
combat are generally the same. Civilians can be
represented by counters or just a special scenario
rule, and could represent dozens of vehicles or
hundreds of people in or moving through the hex
over the course of a turn.
Attacks made into a hex with Civilians will cause
collateral damage if any of the dice on the attack
have a face with (any color). The attacker
may voluntarily downgrade any number of their
attack dice to reduce this chance (an attack with
nothing but green dice has no faces with , and
so cannot do collateral damage). If the defender
counter-attacks and Civilians are in the attackers
hex, the defenders counter-attack does collateral
damage if any of the attack dice have a face with
(any color). Note that green dice do have one
face with . Civilians do not affect stacking limits
but generally cost +1MP to move through.
example: This attack roll would
cause collateral damage in the
defenders hex, and if the
defender had counter-fired,
then the defender would also do
collateral damage in the attackers hex.
Causing collateral damage is generally a bad thing
for whoever did it, which could be the defender
in an attack if they counter-fired and hit some
civilians in the attackers hex by accident. The
exact consequence of civilian casualties is going to
be dependent on the scenario.
23
5.8 Unit Keywords
A few units have abilities or debilities which are
linked to words in the unit or formation name.
Militia
Poorly trained and organized forces
which tend to operate independent
of central leadership. Militia units
are usually low-tech units (4.23)
with a green lightning bolt.
Recon
Recon units generally have better
2 FT
communications gear than similar
non-recon units, and specialized
training. They can operate
independently better than normal
units (2.023)
Autonomous
Effectively, combat robots. These
7
were untested in combat at the time
of GeddonWar. The autonomous
units have advantages and
A
disadvantages. They are not that
fast, but they do not hesitate. With data input
01
not only from sensors but directly from drones,
satellites or other recon, they make decisions
rapidly and adapt quickly to changing situations.
While smaller than other AFVs, a platoon of
autonomous vehicles is larger than a platoon of
DR
tanks and better able to absorb the loss of a
vehicle or two.
In game terms, they are generally weak but have
the advantage that they recover all Action steps
when the formation they are attached to activates.
They still accumulate Action penalties, but fully
recover everything except a step loss.
24
Autonomous units are not entirely under player
control. If they do not have an Action marker they
can Opportunity Fire (4.21) like any other unit.
When they activate with a formation, roll one
black die for all autonomous units attached to
a formation (optional: roll one black die per hex
of autonomous units).
Group fire: The unit(s) must fire if there
is a target in range, and must combine fire
(4.162) if able. The units may not move.
Fire: The unit(s) must fire if there is a
is a target in range, and must do so as
individual units. The units may not move.
Move & fire: The unit(s) must move into a
position they can fire from and then fire
(individually)
Fire or move: The unit(s) fire individually
if there is a target in normal or close range,
otherwise they move but do not fire.
Fire or move: The unit(s) fire individually if
there is a target in close range, otherwise
they move but do not fire.
The terms move and fire have very specific
meanings for autonomous units:
fire: The unit fires at the closest enemy unit
whose defense shield is the same color as their
primary firepower. If no such target is available,
it fires at the closest enemy unit whose defense
shield is the same color as their secondary
firepower, and if this is not possible it fires at any
enemy unit. Within these limits, the player can
pick and choose between equivalent targets.
Enemy units with a gray defense shield are
considered the same color as the autonomous
units primary firepower.
move: The unit uses non-flank movement using
the shortest path in hexes to get in range and
LOS of a target, but does not have to pick the
path with the lowest movement cost. So, an
autonomous unit could move up a hill to get a
better position if this was the same distance to a
target as a position which took fewer movement
points to reach. If a unit is already in range and
LOS of a target it can fire on, a move command
means that it will attempt to move to a closer
range band (long to normal, normal to short), or if
already at short range, move into close combat
(and it will always choose push in that case).
6.0 Example of play
Player 1 is commanding the US and Israeli forces
(blue and green), while player 2 commands ISIL
forces (tan). There are five chits in the command
cup, two for the ISIL player, one for the Israeli
formation, one for the US formation and a generic
one for player 1 that can be used for either.
assign damage: The ISIL unit takes 4 hits from 4
strikes because the firepower and defense colors
match, dropping it to Shaken and a step loss.
However, counter-fire is also an Action step, so
when this is applied, the ISIL tank is eliminated.
The US tank takes 2 hits from 2 strikes, and then
another Action step for the attack, putting it at
Shaken status.

Unit actions.The other US unit is the infantry,

which is feeling exposed but is not going to get
any less exposed by sitting still. They try to move
to the west edge of the urban area. In the last hex

2 FT
4

of the move (2 hexes east of the Israeli tank) the
other ISIL tank opens fire (opportunity fire).
3 1 4 4 Combat steps are:

check range: range of 4 is short range (+2DM)

determine line of sight: no obstructions, it runs
down the edge of the dense urban hex but does not
4 1 1
cross it.

7

determine firepower: FP of 6 vs. DEF of 1 (5 dice)
1 1 other defense modifiers: tech disadvantage (-1DM)

roll for attack: attacker rolls 5 dice, 1 red and 4
A
1 black (total modifier is +1), for:

01
Impulse 1, step 1
Draw a command chit. The first chit is for the US
it is placed on the command track (2.01).
This is 4 strikes by
the attacker and
no counter-fire. Because the attacker is using
secondary firepower color (red starburst vs. red
shield), it takes 2 strikes to do 1 hit. So, the infantry
DR

Impulse 1, step 2 takes 2 hits, plus another Action step for their
Upkeep actions. All units are in good order, but action, making them Shaken.
this player has a command or logistics marker to
place (2.022). They choose to place a logistics The US formations actions are done and the map
marker in the clear hex 2 hexes north of the US now looks like this:
tanks. This is in line of sight of the two ISIL
infantry, but outside of their maximum range.
s
ic
st
gi

Impulse 1, step 3
Lo

Unit actions.The first thing the US player does is

shoot at the top ISIL tank formation. Ignoring the 4

first few steps, combat steps (4.1) are:

check range: range of 4 is short range (+2DM)

determine line of sight: no obstructions
determine firepower: FP of 7 vs. DEF of 4 (3 dice)

defender does counter-fire: counter-fire (+1DM)
other defense modifiers: tech advantage (+1DM) 4 1 1
roll for attack/countefire: attacker rolls 3 red dice

(total modifier is +4 but only

1 1
3 dice are available):

This is 4 strikes for the attacker and 5 counter-fire 1

strikes for the defender. However, the difference
between the defenders FP of 6 and attackers DEF
of 4 is only 2, so only 2 hits can be done by counter-
fire.
25
Impulse 2, step 1 This formations actions are done:
Draw a command chit. The second impulse goes
to the ISIL player and it is placed on the command
track:

s
ic
st
gi
Lo

Impulse 2, step 2
Upkeep actions. The remaining ISIL tank
automatically gets back 1 action step, restoring it
to full effectiveness. The ISIL player does not have

2 FT

a logistics/command marker for this scenario.
1

Impulse 2, step 3
1 1
Unit actions.The ISIL player really wants to knock

off that US tank before it can recover and take
another shot, but the player can see that the tank 1
will only recover 2 steps on its next upkeep, which
is not enough to let it fire again. So, the ISIL

7
player chooses to take a shot at the Israeli tanks. Impulse 3, step 1
The combat steps (4.1) are: Draw a command chit. The third impulse goes to
the Israelis and it is placed on the command track:
A
check range: range of 6 is normal range16
determine line of sight: no obstructions




01determine firepower: FP of 6 vs. DEF of 4 (2 dice)
defender does counter-fire: counter-fire (+1DM)
other defense modifiers: none
roll for attack/countefire: attacker rolls 1 red and
1 black die (total modifier is +1), for:
Impulse 3, step 2
Upkeep actions. The Israeli tank gets back 1
DR

action step (2.021) and now has an Action counter

This is 1 strike by the attacker and 3 on it. This player choose to leave their logistics
strikes from counter-fire (but the defenders FP of 6 marker where it is.
minus the ISIL tanks DEF of 4 means the counter-
fire can only do 2 hits. Impulse 3, step 3
assign damage: The Israeli tank takes 2 action Unit actions.The Israeli infantry moves into the
steps, 1 from the attack and another from taking an urban hex to their east, and ends their impulse.
action to counter-fire, while the ISIL attacker takes The map looks like this:
3 steps, 1 from the firing action and 2 from the
counter-fire by the Israelis. So, the Israeli tank is
Pinned and the ISIL tank is Shaken.
s
ic
st
gi
Lo

Unit actions.The ISIL player moves their eastern-

most Militia 1 hex to the west and uses the rocket 4

team to take a pot shot at the Israeli tanks. The

tanks decline to counter-fire.

check range: range of 5 is long range (-2DM)

determine line of sight: no obstructions

determine firepower: FP of 5 vs. DEF of 4 (1 die)
other defense modifiers: none
roll for attack: attacker rolls 1 green die
1

(total modifier is -2), for:

This is a blank die face, so no strikes are done.

assign damage: none

26
Armageddon War terrain/combat reference
MP cost per hex offensive dice modifier LOS
infantry wheeled tracked infantry wheeled tracked blocked?
road 1/2 1/2 1/2 +1 +1 +1 as terrain

clear 1 2 1 +0 +0 +0 no

cultivated 1 2 1 -1 +0 +0 no

soft sand 2 3 2 -1 +0 +0 no

dunes 3 4 3 -2 -1 -1 yes

2 FT
rough 2 X X -2 -2 -2 yes

light woods 1 2 2 -1 -1 -1 yes

dense woods 2 X X -2 -1 -1 yes

light urban 1 1 1 -1 +0 +0 yes

7
dense urban 1 2 2 -2 -1 -1 yes

marsh 3 X X -1 +0 +0 no
A
river X X X +1 +1 +1 no

01 wadi1

elevation(up)
X

+1
X

+1
X

+1
-1

-1
+0

-1
+0

-1
yes

yes
DR

crest2 +0 +0 +0 -1 -1 -1 yes

fence3 4 X 2 -1 -1 -1 no

wreck4 +0 +0 +0 -1 -1 -1 no

flank speed5 -1 -1 -1 +1 per die +1 per die +1 per die -

see rule 4.17 counterfire - - - +1 +1 +1 -

see rule 4.17 retreat - - - -2 -2 -2 -

see rule 4.13 close range - - - +2 +2 +2 -

see rule 4.13 long range - - - -2 -2 -2 -

see rule 4.16 counter-fire - - - +1 +1 +1 -

see rule 4.162 combined fire - - - +1 die +1 die +1 die -

see rule 4.163 flanking fire - - - +1 die +1 die +1 die -

notes
1. A wadi can generally be treated as an area surrounded by a level 1 elevation change for LOS purposes, but the wadi can only
be entered and exited by units at its ends
2. A unit on a crest line hex can be seen from both sides and can see along the crest line
3. A fence that has been breached is just a +1 movement cost for the terrain it is in and counts as a road for defensive modifier
4. Only 1 wreck counter is allowed per hex
5. Movement cost is never reduced to less than 1/2 MP per hex
Armageddon War combat reference
Counters
Nationality
A flag to identify the nation
or ideology of the formation
Formation
The formation name.
This may include
game-relevant terms
(e.g. recon or HQ)
Special note
An icon may be here
to denote a special
characteristic of the
Support weapon type
There will be an icon here to
Firepower type/range show what types of unit the
Infantry support weapons support weapon can be used
with a primary firepower by, which is usually infantry,
color matching the carrying land vehicles or air vehicles
unit add this value to the
firepower of that unit, after
any range bonus or penalty
that unit takes. A support
weapon with a different
color is a separate attack
and the unit chooses either
its inherent firepower or
support weapon firepower.

2 FT
No move
unit An X here means it
cannot be used on a
turn where the carrying
Defense value/type
unit has moved
The shield color is the
defense type, and the
Actions
number is the defense
What a unit with this
value
marker on it is able
to do

7
Firepower type/range
The large number/color are
the primary firepower value
and type, and the superscript
A
is the normal range. The
starburst is the secondary
firepower type, which uses
Movement value/type
The number is how many
movement points the unit has,
and the letter is the type of Penalty
movement (Infantry, Tracked, Subtraction from the
Wheeled). If the number is firepower of the unit
green, it means the unit can

01
the same value and range as
the primary type.

Turn sequence(2.0)
transport an infantry unit
(3.02)

1.Draw a command chit, place on track(2.01)

for any counter-fire or
other combat

Fire combat(4.0)
Start with black dice equal to firepower minus
DR

2.Upkeep actions for the active formation(2.02)
a) morale recovery(2.021):
1 level is automatic
+1 level for being in defensive terrain
+1 level for being outside enemy erange
+1 level for friendly logistics marker within 2 hexes
b) place or move logistics/command markers(2.022)
place logistics marker outside of enemy direct fire
or move logistics marker up to 3 hexes
or pick up logistics marker
or put command marker on track in place of
formation and return formation to cup
3.Unit actions for the active formation(2.03)
4.End actions for active formation(2.04), return to start
Movement(3.0)
Units in the currently active formation may move if
they have no action counter on them
Units may move separately if in different hexes or
simultaneously if in the same hex, and may merge
and split so long as no unit exceeds its MP allowance
Units may declare move & fire or fire & move, which
is -a -1, -2 or -3 dice modifier (2.03)
Units that may carry infantry expend half their MP
(drop fractions) to load or unload infantry(3.02)
The stacking limit for a hex is 2 units and is observed
at all times(3.01)
targets defense value, with a minimum of zero dice
If units combine fire and/or flanking fire, add dice for
each extra unit (up to +3 dice) or flanking (+1 die)
Target decides whether to counter-fire, stand or
retreat(4.16). Counter-fire is a a +1 DM, retreat is a
-2 DM but defender must leave the hex
Total all situational modifiers, if the result is positive,
upgrade that many dice to red, if negative, down-
grade that many dice to green(4.161)
Roll the dice. Each starburst is a strike. Primary vs.
defense is 1 hit per strike, secondary is 1 hit per 2
strikes, tertiary is 1 hit per 3 strikes(4.17)
Counter-fire counts the shields rolled and does
similar damage up to a maximum number of hits
equal to defenders adjusted firepower minus
attackers adjusted defense(4.171)
Apply 1 action step per hit done to a unit, and
attacker also takes 1 action step for the attack
Close combat(5.0)
Choose leading units and type of combat(5.01)
Apply special modifiers for infantry if needed(5.02)
Determine terrain and other dice modifiers(5.05)
Both attacker and defender roll for strikes, do not
use shields on dice for counter-fire(5.06)
Apply action steps for damage(5.06), attackers and
lead get 1 action step for being in close combat
Determine who has to retreat from the hex(5.06)