Brutal A Tribal Supplement

Close Up and Personal Combat
A Supplement
By: Lon Teal, Aramiha Harwood & Adam Gehling
Graphic Design: Peter Overton

Cover Art: Mitchell Nolte www.mitchellnolte.com
Photography: Aramiha Harwood, Adam Gehling
Figures used in this publication:

Eureka Miniatures Crutchy Push and Victorian Range (www.eurekamin.com.au)
Artizan Gladiators and Citizens – North Star Military Figures
Foundry Miniatures – Roman Citizens
The Geezers Range from Killer B Games
Perry Miniatures ACW Rioters
Grenadier Kill Zone - Post-Apocalyptic figures
Obelisk & Copplestone Miniatures – Chinese Gangers
Follow us on our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/tribalgame
Tribal community player group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/248072718885549/
Contact: themanapress@gmail.com
www.manapress.com.au
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Table of Contents
Introduction
1. New Rule Suggestions for TRIBAL ........................................................... 2
2. The Weaponry of Brutal Warbands............................................................ 3
3. Barkers, Heaters & Irons - Guns in Gang Warfare................................... 4
4. New Skills...................................................................................................... 7
5. Solo Play......................................................................................................... 8
6. Soldiers: Black Powder Muskets in Tribal................................................ 9
7. The War of the Fists:
Street Gang Violence in the Italian Renaissance City States................... 10
8. The 5 Points: Gang Battles in old New York............................................. 13
9. Masked Vigilantes: Crime Fighting Heroes.............................................. 15
- Vigilante Scenario: The Heist.................................................................... 17
10. Mob Rule: Urban Battles in the Late Roman Republic............................ 19
11. Wasteland Warriors: Post-Apocalyptic Gangs......................................... 21
12. Smog & Soot: Gangs of the Victorian and Edwardian Eras................... 23
D
Brutal
Welcome to the third book for
the TRIBAL Wargame rules! Toughs?
In TRIBAL we explored the ritualised warfare of tribes from
the dawn of civilisation. In Primeval we delved further back
In keeping with the theme of Brutal
into prehistory and the Stone Age. Brutal winds the clock we’ve renamed the TRIBAL Warrior
forward – with a quick stop in ancient Rome – all the way to class as Toughs. It’s just a name
the modern era: street gangs, thugs and law enforcement.
change however – Toughs and
Within you’ll find Warbands, rules and backgrounds detailing
the politically charged slums of New York’s Five Points, mob Warriors share all the usual rules,
battles in the Italian renaissance, post-apocalyptic wasteland costs and Skills!
tribes after The Event, street violence in ancient Rome, turf-
wars in the grimy alleys of the Victorian era, and even two-
fisted masked vigilante action!
We’ve also included rules for packing heat, intervention from
the boys in blue, solo play, black powder musketry and even
horrific subterranean beetle-folk.
Using this book as a tool-box you’ll be able to come up with
your own games and settings: pirate raids and boarding
actions on the high seas, 1970’s cops and blaggers slugging it
out on London streets, Spanish guerrillas fighting Napoleon’s
troops or even Cornish smugglers skirmishing with the King’s
Customs and Excise men.
Go for it!
1
1. New Rule Suggestions for TRIBAL

Below are a few suggestions and changes when playing Combining Damaged Units
games of TRIBAL in any of its forms. Aside from the
It’s not uncommon to end up with several units of Warriors
clarifications regarding movement, they are entirely with only 1 or 2 members left from their original 5. What do
optional. Just make sure your opponent agrees to their you do with them? Try and hide them from danger? Run off
use before the game! the table? Leap into combat seeking a glorious death?
This rule suggestion allows players to combine these remnants
Mixed Units of Warriors. into functioning units again. The steps are as follows:
Like many wargamers, for us the game is as much about the 1. Check to see if the units are eligible to combine:
story and the “look of the thing” as it is about who actually - Both units must still have an Activation Card in play
wins. Therefore it can seem a bit odd having units of street (i.e. they have not yet activated this turn)
Toughs armed with standardized weapon types. Therefore, in - Once combined, the new unit must not number more
our games, we’ve loosened things up a little: than 5 miniatures.
A unit of 5 Toughs or Warriors can have 1 or 2 figures armed 2. Activate one of the units and move it into Coherency
with different weapons than their companions. This makes no with the second.
difference to the way the unit fights – Strike Cards are played
as if all figures are armed as the majority. As the unit begins 3. Remove the second unit’s Activation Card.
to take casualties, these odd figures are the first to fall. 4. The 2 units are now combined into one. One of the 2 is
We’ve also started using this in other games of TRIBAL as considered Destroyed.
well: mixing the odd axe wielder into a unit of spear carrying 5. Remember to give your opponent 1 Honour as Blood
Viking Warriors makes the game look a little less regimented – Payment.
improving the overall look without changing gameplay.
To avoid penalising Warbands with an interesting mix of
units, players may join two differently armed remnants
Walking, Jogging and Sprinting together. Simply replace the miniatures from the smaller
As the game of Tribal has developed, we’ve formalised a few of the two remnants with figures previously removed as
of the movement terms: casualties from the larger. Once combined the members of
the new unit will all be armed with the same weapon type.
Walking Walking distance is 1 short card-edge. Not often
used, Walking is most often the result of moving In the occasional situation where two differently armed
through Tough Going. 2-figure remnants are combining, the owning player may
choose which to remove and replace.
Jogging This is the “normal” movement speed. Jogging
distance is 1 long card-edge. Units having different skills can also confuse the situation.
Fortunately there’s a simple solution!
Sprinting Models moving at a Sprint travel 2 long card-
edges. Sprinting will get your units somewhere Any Skill that is not common to both
quickly, but will give the enemy a combat bonus combining remnants is lost.
if they Charge into combat.
We’ll explain this draconian decision as there not being
enough trained survivors in the new unit to make a difference.
Panic! The real reason of course is to stop players refreshing their
elite units by feeding them dross!
It’s probably worth clarifying a point in the main TRIBAL
rules: yes, if a unit fighting using the Panic! rules is incredibly If you’re using the “Mixed Units of Warriors” optional rules
lucky they can win a round of combat. They will have caused then warriors wielding different weapons may combine into
little or no damage to their (no doubt embarrassed) opponent one unit. Keep in mind the following rules though:
but will win the normal Honour reward for their tenacity. • As normal, only 1 or 2 figures can be armed differently
from their fellows. This means that when 2 remnants
Measuring Ranges combine, the majority determine the weapon type the new
unit is armed with.
As this ruleset introduces various short-ranged weapons, • Should the combined unit suffer further casualties,
players will find themselves needing to measure ranges remember that the differently armed figures are the first to
during the game. Simply use a card from your discard pile. be removed.
If your discard pile is empty, then take an unused card and
discard it when finished.
To avoid rewarding those with laser-like distance estimation,
players can measure range and other distances at any time
during the game.
2
2. The Weaponry of Brutal Warbands

Many of the combatants in the periods described in this Beat Down!
book are armed quite differently than those in a normal
When an attacker elects to use a Beat Down instead of
game of TRIBAL. Military weapons are rarely seen – Overpower against an opponent, no additional wounds are
instead, combatants are armed with makeshift weapons caused.
or even just their fists! Instead, the winner of the Exchange immediately receives
1 Honour Point from the loser. This represents a display of
No Missile Weapons strength and skill that shakes the morale of the opposing
gang.
Aside from an opportunistically thrown rock or brick, proper
volleys of missile fire are not often encountered in street Just as in a normal game of TRIBAL, if a unit
battles. Brutal Warbands may not include units of Missile plays a Strike Card in an exchange – and is
Troops.
armed with the weapon type associated with it
Units may of course still purchase the “Thrown Weapons” – they gain a +1 to the value of their card.
skill to represent a cobblestone torn up from a Victorian alley
or even the occasional javelin hurled by a Roman rioter.
If you want to include gangs of stone-throwing youths, have
Mixing it up: using Long
a look at the “Urchins” Special Rule included in The 5 Points Weapons against Brutal
background later in this book.
Warbands
Street Weapons If you’d like to add long weapons back into the mix – a game
where spear-armed Legionaries are sent to quell a slave
Just like bows, long weapons such as spears are not normally uprising springs to mind – then you have 2 options…
wielded in an urban brawl. Instead, combatants will most
• The simplest option is for both players to use the Strike
often be armed with either fists and feet or easily concealed
Card versions from the main TRIBAL book: Clubs = short
weapons such as clubs, chains, knives or perhaps the
weapon and Spades = long weapons. In this version,
occasional sword. simply consider all figures with street weapons or
To reflect this change in armament, the weapons tied to the unarmed as having short weapons.
TRIBAL Strike Cards are slightly modified when playing with • The second option is a little more complex but perhaps
Brutal Warbands: makes for a more interesting game: each player uses the
Strike Card versions from their own book.
Clubs Short Weapons: daggers, bludgeons, tire irons and
the like. Just as in the TRIBAL rules, a unit armed In our example, the Legionary player would use the
with these weapons needs only to double their foes standard Clubs = short weapon and Spades = long
weapons.
score in an Exchange to Overpower.
The gang player on the other hand plays their Strike Cards
If you do have the odd miniature wielding a long using the rules from this book: Clubs = short weapon and
weapon – a pitchfork or street sign for example – Spades = unarmed.
just consider them a short weapon for the purposes The only rule modification necessary is that units armed
of gameplay. with long weapons win drawn Exchanges against foes
Spades Unarmed: fists, feet, brass knuckles and small wielding short weapons or unarmed.
improvised weapons such as broken bottles. Sadly,
having somewhat limited reach, these weapons do
not have the usual TRIBAL reach bonus of weapons
linked to the Spade suit: they do not win drawn
Exchanges against units armed with short weapons.
Instead, when an attack from these weapons triples
their opponents score they may use the Beat Down
rule rather than Overpower:
3
3. Barkers, Heaters & Irons - Guns in Gang Warfare

“Remember, no guns unless they use ‘em.” – Sweeney! Firing
(Feature Film, 1977)
During their activation, and depending on the weapon, a
Characters in a Brutal Warband may purchase a concealable character with a pistol can fire from 1 to 3 shots at a single
firearm such as a sawn-off shotgun or pistol before the game enemy unit in line of sight. If they also move during their
begins. This has some obvious advantages, but may also activation, then they are limited to 1 shot only.
bring its own unique problems...
For every shot fired the player must pay 1 Honour Point from
Obviously this depends on the setting. It’s unlikely there were their own pool. Rather than being added back to the central
many packing thugs loitering in the wine shops of ancient supply however, place the expended Honour into the Alarm!
Rome! pile that was begun when pistols were drawn. We’ll explain
how Alarm! works below.
We would suggest limiting firearms to 1 per Warband. Now
of course you’re more than welcome to have as many pistols As each shot is paid for and fired, draw a single card off the
in your games as you like – TRIBAL is a toolbox for having deck. If the card has a value of 11 (Jack) or more, the target
fun after all! – but, beyond the extra level of complexity, there unit is hit and must take a wound. There are 5 standard
are several good reasons behind this recommended limit. modifiers to the final value of the card drawn:
Primarily though TRIBAL is a game about a warrior code of
honour. Even among street gangs and rioters today, when +1 Whites o’ Their Eyes! If firing at a unit within 2 long
there are more firearms than ever before, carrying a pistol can card-edges – a Sprint move – then add this bonus.
give respect but actually using the pistol is “taking things too +1 Large Target. If the target unit is a unit with 3 or more
far” and brings down the kind of serious attention from the members then a +1 applies. Use this modifier if the
powers-that-be that nobody wants. target also happens to be extra-large – something the
Guns cost NO Honour to buy, and begin the game concealed. size of a suburban hatchback for example.
In fact, a firearm adds +2 Honour to the Warband’s total when -1 Cover. This modifier applies if half or more of the
the game starts – it certainly doesn’t do any harm to a geezer’s members of the target unit are in line-of-sight but
reputation when folk reckon he’s packing. This extra Honour behind or in some form of cover.
cannot be used to buy extra units or Skills – it just adds to the
Warband’s starting pool. -1 Leg it! The target unit elects to give up their Activation
to Leg it! See below for how this works.
While concealed, guns have no effect other than the Honour
boost mentioned. It’s when they come out to play that things -1/-2 Shooter Moved. If the shooter moved at a Jog, deduct
change! 1 from the card value. If they moved at a Sprint deduct
2 from the total. Moving at Walking speed imposes no
penalty.
Pistols at Dawn: Needless to say, the 5 modifiers are cumulative: firing at a
Drawing Weapons unit of 3 Toughs (+1) at close range (+1) who are sheltering
behind a pile of rubble (-1) would give a net result of +1. This
A player can choose to have their Character draw their shot would therefore require a 10 or more to hit.
weapon at the beginning of the unit’s activation. When a
firearm is drawn, take 2 Honour Points from the central After a player fires each shot they can choose to continue
supply and place them in a separate “Alarm!” pile near the firing – up to their weapon’s maximum – or cease fire.
edge of the board – they’ll come in handy later... Remember that each shot costs 1 Honour.
Once drawn, a gun cannot be re-concealed – the cat’s Just like missile fire in normal games of TRIBAL, if a gunshot
definitely out of the bag. Drawn guns have two game effects: destroys the target unit no Honour is gained. Reputations
they intimidate enemy Toughs and they can be fired at the foe. are made by facing an enemy toe-to-toe, not by a lucky shot
from across a darkened street!
Intimidation
Any group of Toughs who wish to Charge an enemy
Character with a drawn gun must draw a card and add the
number of Toughs in their group to its value. If the total is 11
(Jack) or more they bravely Charge as normal. On a 10 or less
however, they lose their action as they hesitate. Remember
that Intimidation only affects units of enemy Toughs Charging
into close combat. It has no effect on other enemy actions or,
upon Characters.
4
Leg it! Alarm!

Once the firing Character has declared their intention to fire “Get yer trousers on – You’re nicked.”
but before they draw any attack cards, the target unit can
– Special Branch (Series 4, Episode 9)
choose to Leg it! To be able to Leg it! they must still have an
Activation Card in play (i.e. they have not yet activated this If you are playing a scenario set in an era of organised law
turn). enforcement, waving guns about (or worse, firing them!) is
a sure way of drawing unwanted attention or escalating a
The firing Character then draws any shooting attack cards and
situation already out of control.
applies the extra -1 “Leg it” penalty to each card value due to
their target scrambling for cover. At the end of any turn that there are Honour Points in the
Alarm! pile, the player who activated the last unit draws a
Once any Wounds have been applied from shooting, the
card. If the value of the card is equal to or under the number
target unit is moved either 1 long card-edge directly away from
of Honour Points in the Alarm! pile, then a police unit of
the shooter or completely out of line-of-sight in any direction.
either 5 constables (Toughs) or one 5-wound officer (a Hero)
If they are unable for some reason to take either of these
arrives from a random board edge – use the suit of the drawn
moves, the unit must take an additional 1 Wound.
card to determine which one: ♥ = North, ♠ = South, ♦ = East,
♣ = West.
Point Blank Range To reduce the frequency of reshuffling, it’s not a bad idea to
A Character with a pistol can elect to fire it in hand-to-hand draw these cards from a separate deck if you have one handy.
combat. In each round of melee they can fire 1 shot from a Once on the board the unit, depending on the scenario, is
loaded pistol: immediately interrupt the normal sequence either:
of exchanges, pay an Honour Point, and make a shooting
attack. The Whites o’ Their Eyes bonus does not apply in the run as a Robot using the solo play rules (see below),
midst of a scuffle, but there also should be no cover for the
or placed under the control of a player running the police
target either. Hits caused will count towards determining the
forces.
winner of the combat but, as before, if the shot happens to
destroy the target unit no Honour is gained. After adding the police unit, reduce the Honour in the Alarm!
pile by half and continue the game. Each turn that there is
more than 1 Honour Point in the pile, continue to check for
police reinforcements.
If you’re not using the forces of law-and-order in your game,
then simply ignore the Alarm! and place any Honour used to
fire a weapon back into the central supply.
5
Weapon Types Tu-Para & Blunderbuss

Tu-Para were the sawn-off shotguns favoured by the Maori
Exactly what type of pistol your Character will be
when fighting in the New Zealand bush. Very short range,
armed with will largely depend on the setting of your they were nevertheless horribly effective in the close confines
game. of forest fighting. A Blunderbuss is the classic trumpet-
shaped scattergun beloved of pirates and crazed prospectors!
The 3 main weapon types are detailed below:
Both weapons use the normal rules for sawn-off shotguns.
Flintlock Pistols
Packed by highwaymen, pirates and rookery crime bosses,
Modern Pistols:
flintlocks are horribly inaccurate except at point-blank range.
They have the following rules:
Revolvers & Semi-autos
Their maximum range is 2 long card-edges only. Therefore, Heaters, barkers and irons.
they always get the +1 “Whites o’ Their Eyes” to-hit bonus. These weapons have no range limit and can be fired at any
Characters are limited to 1 shot per activation (whether enemy unit in line-of-sight.
moving or not). In addition, once the weapon is fired place During their activation, a Character with a revolver or semi-
a Reloading marker beside the Character. The pistol cannot auto pistol can fire from 1 to 3 shots. If they also move during
be used again until the owner has used an entire activation to the activation, then they are limited to a single shot only.
take a reload action – neither moving nor attacking.
Unlike earlier firearms, these pistols are easy to reload and
This category also includes wheel-locks, home-made “zip hold plenty of ammunition. A Reload marker is only placed
guns”, or even the concealable hand crossbows typically when a 2 or 3 is drawn from the deck when firing. The
packed by cloaked fantasy assassins. pistol cannot then be used again until the owner has used an
entire activation to take a reload action – neither moving nor
Sawn-off Shotguns attacking.
Take a double-barrelled shot-gun and apply a hacksaw

vigorously. Though prone to misfires – and occasionally More Guns?
exploding – sawn-offs have long been popular, due to If you do want to try out a game with lots of guns – a
their availability, in countries known for their strict gun prohibition era shootout on the mean streets of Chicago or a
control laws. The fact that buckshot makes up for a lack of Western showdown for example – go right ahead! However
marksmanship doesn’t hurt either… modify the rules as follows:
Like flintlocks, their maximum range is 2 long card-edges • When a unit is equipped with firearms it affords no
only. Therefore, they always get the +1 “Whites o’ Their Eyes” Honour. Instead, each gun costs the Warband 1 Honour.
to-hit bonus. • Only allow Characters to equip guns. If you want to equip
your Toughs with firearms as well, then have a look at the
They also gain a further +1 to-hit bonus due to their spread-of-
Soldier rules later.
shot.
• Firing weapons does not cost Honour Points. In a setting
Characters are limited to 1 shot per activation (whether that includes a lot of guns, no one gets too upset when
moving or not). In addition, once the weapon is fired place a they’re actually used…
Reloading marker beside the Character. The sawn-off cannot • If you want to keep the mechanic where police show up
be used again until the owner has used an entire activation to when the bullets start to fly, just add spare Honour tokens
take a reload action – neither moving nor attacking. from the central supply to the Alarm! pile whenever shots
Sawn-offs are deadly both to the target and, occasionally, their are fired.
user: • Remember that no Honour is gained by destroying units
with gunfire.
If an Ace or Joker is drawn when firing a sawn-off, and the
shot strikes home, the target unit takes 2 hits rather than 1.
If a 2 or 3 is drawn when firing a sawn-off, immediately draw
another card: if the second card is also a 2 or 3 the weapon
explodes! The Character takes 3 hits and, needless-to-say,
loses their weapon.
6
4. New Skills
There are a few optional skills that can be added when
playing a game of TRIBAL with gunpowder. While
some of the skills list Toughs as being able to purchase
them, this of course is only in games where the
“Soldiers” rules for musketry are being used.
Dead Shot 1 Honour Point
Toughs & Characters. The unit adds +1 to card values when
shooting. In a game where Toughs can also be armed with
firearms, Characters instead add +2.
Skirmisher 1 Honour Point

Toughs & Characters. When taking a reload action the unit
can also make a normal move.
Brace of Pistols 1 Honour Point

Characters only. This character can have any number of
flintlock pistols stuffed in belts and pockets. The Character
is always assumed to have a loaded flintlock pistol and never
has to reload. They are still limited to 1 shot per activation
however.
7
5. Solo Play If you are using the rules for Combining Damaged Units, then
any unit of Toughs with two or less figures remaining will
attempt to move towards, and join, the closest unit of Toughs
Sometimes, with the best will in the world, it can be
who are able to absorb them.
impossible to organise an opponent when the mood for a
game strikes. Failing that, they will withdraw until they are 1 long card
edge behind the nearest unit of friendly Toughs. Unless
Having the means to play solo also gives a scenario or armed with missile weapons, they will not attempt to engage
Warband designer the opportunity to test rules, builds the enemy and will instead wait for the opportunity to
and games without roping their mates in to multiple play- reinforce.
throughs of the same game. Believe us when we say that such
things can test the best of friendships! If there are no friendly units of Toughs left on the table or
you are not using the Combining rules, continue to draw an
The rules below use the term Robot to refer to the game Activation Card each turn as normal: on a 2-4 however they
controlled opponent. The term seemed a little less pretentious will attempt to retreat at a Sprint off the battlefield.
than “AI”.
On any other result they will remain in the fight – refer to the
Another use for a Robot is to control neutral units in a normal normal card results above.
two-player game. In a rumble involving two rival gangs
fighting over the control of a Victorian London wharf, the
Robot might control the police units that arrive as the violence Combat
escalates. In each exchange of a round of combat a Robot always plays
We’ve tried to keep the rules fairly simple and intuitive. The the first card (i.e. the human player always has Advantage).
Robot is aggressive and, of course, will not attempt to perform The Robot does not draw a combat hand. Instead:
scenario specific tasks – in a game involving cattle rustling for
• For each exchange the Robot draws 2 cards and plays the
example, the Robot will ignore the livestock and simply try to highest value once weapons and skills have been factored.
kill your Warband! A simple work-around for this is to adjust The remaining card is then discarded.
the card results for movement. In the example above, a card
• If the Robot would normally have more than 5 cards in
draw of a 2 – 4 might mean that the Robot’s unit will stick to
their initial combat hand (i.e. from a Chief at full wounds)
the game plan and attempt to drive the cattle off the board.
then in the first exchange of the round they will draw 3
cards and pick the highest.
Building a Robot Warband. • If winning an exchange with a Heart, the Robot will
change its card in the next exchange to a strike card suit
Use the standard rules when constructing your opponent’s
that matches its weapon.
Warband. Just like a human player, Robots will use Skills and
have a pool of unspent Honour points at the beginning of the • If winning an exchange with a Diamond, the Robot will
game. change its opponent’s card in the following exchange to a
Diamond.
• The Robot will continue to “draw 2, play 1” for as many
The Game Turn exchanges as they would normally have cards in their
Robots do not draw or play initiative cards. They are always combat hand. Once these are exhausted, they use the
considered to have lost the Initiative. Panic! rules as normal.
Movement Firearms
The Robot always activates the unit closest to the enemy first. If the Robot has figures armed with firearms, it will only begin
The next unit activated will be the second closest etc. Draw an shooting once the human player has done so. The Robot will
Activation Card for each activating unit: fire in a tit-for-tat manner: for every shot the human player
makes, the Robot will fire back when they have a target.
2-10. The unit advances at a Jog towards the closest
enemy unit and will charge if possible. If starting Regardless of shots fired, the Robot will cease fire once the
within 2 long card-edges of an enemy it will Honour in their pool drops below 3.
charge into contact at a Sprint if possible If you are playing using the More Guns? rules, then ignore the
Jack-King. The unit will move at a Sprint to charge the rules above: The Robot will shoot whenever they are able!
enemy unit with the fewest hits remaining.
It will move around other enemy units –
maintaining a long card-edge distance if possible,
but will otherwise attempt to take the shortest
route. If there are two equally damaged units
on the table then it will attempt to engage the
closest.
Ace-Joker. As above, but will attempt to engage the closest
enemy character.
8
6. Soldiers: Black Powder Muskets in Tribal

Though we’ve included the odd pistol in this Firing
supplement, adding widespread musketry to a game of
When firing, draw 1 card per shooter in the unit. 1 hit is
Tribal steps somewhat outside of our design concept. caused on the target unit for every card with a value of an 11
It’s perhaps no surprise that once massed gunfire became a (Jack) or more. Just like pistols, 5 similar modifiers adjust the
serious element of battle, warfare started to become viewed final card value:
as a science. Men and woman who had seen the bloody and +1 Whites o’ Their Eyes! If firing at a unit within 2 long
clinical slaughter of the gunpowder battlefield could no longer card-edges – a Sprint move – then add this bonus.
delude themselves that such out-dated concepts as honour
and mana could have any place amongst the serried ranks. +1 Large Target. If the target unit is a unit with 3 or more
Indeed, the whole concept of a warrior standing apart from members then a +1 applies. Use this modifier if the
his fellows by personal feats-of-arms would have had the target also happens to be extra-large – something the
officers of Frederick the Great’s lock-step armies twisting their size of a suburban hatchback for example.
moustaches in horror!
-1 Cover. This modifier applies if half or more of the
Still, in every colossal generalisation are many exceptions. target unit are in line-of-sight but behind or in some
Even in these later armies were many units obsessed with form of cover.
personal honour and the myths forged in vicious hand-to-
-1 Leg it! The target unit elects to give up their activation
hand combat. A great game of Tribal could be set during the
to Leg it! See below for how this works.
French Indian Wars, the New Zealand Land Wars or even
involve a platoon of French hussars clashing with Cossacks -1/-2 Shooter Moved. If any member of the firing unit
over the looting of a village during the retreat from Moscow. moved at a Walk, deduct 1 from the card value. If
they moved at a Jog deduct 2 from the total. Muskets
Here are a few thoughts as to how to include muskets but still
cannot be fired at all if the unit moved at a Sprint.
keep the flavour of the game...
As before, the 5 modifiers are cumulative: firing at a unit of 5
Muskets are most often borne by units of Toughs and, when
Warriors (+1), at close range (+1), who are sheltering behind a
combined with a bayonet or simply used as a club, are
wooden palisade (-1) would give a net result of +1.
considered a long weapon in hand-to-hand combat.
It costs 1 Honour to equip a unit of Toughs Combining Fire

with muskets.
Before drawing cards to-hit, players can elect to combine the
Characters will most often be armed with pistols – just fire of two or more figures in a unit. Each figure added to a
use the mechanics from the pistol section plus the “More shot adds +1 to the drawn card value.
Guns?” optional rules – but, depending on the scenario, may
Example: Nick has a unit of 5 musketeers firing at a unit of
occasionally carry a musket. As usual, Characters always
4 enemy sheltering in some trees. Normally he’d need an 11
fight alone and cannot combine their fire with another unit
(Jack) for each card (+1 for a large target, but -1 for cover).
(see below).
By combining his unit into a group of three and a group of
Muskets, like other missile weapons, can fire across the whole two, he’ll now make 2 shots: one needing a 9 (adjusted by +2)
game table at anything in line-of-sight. Also, like other missile and the other a 10 (adjusted by +1). Alternatively he could
weapons and firearms, the player gains NO Honour for units put all his eggs in one basket, group everybody together (for
destroyed by gunfire. Scenario specific Honour bonuses are a total of +4), and draw 1 card needing a 7 or better. On the
still earned, but the standard rewards are not. down side, assuming it hits, only 1 enemy will be slain…
ALL members of a unit must fire at the same target unit - they
cannot split their fire. Leg it!
When a unit fires, ALL of its members do so: a unit’s weapons Once the firing unit has declared its intention to fire but
are either entirety loaded or unloaded. before it draws any attack cards, the target unit can choose to
Leg it! To be able to do so they must still have an Activation
Reloading Card in play (i.e. they have not yet activated this turn).
The firing unit then draws any shooting attack cards and
Place a “reloading” marker beside a unit that has fired its
applies the extra -1 “Leg it” penalty to each card value due to
black powder weapons. The weapons cannot be used again
their target scrambling for cover.
until the unit has used an entire activation to take a reload
action – neither moving nor attacking. Once any Wounds have been applied from shooting, the
target unit is moved either 1 long card-edge directly away
from the shooter or completely out of line-of-sight in any
direction. If they are unable for some reason to take either of
these moves, the unit must take an additional 1 Wound.
9
7. The War of the Fists Throughout the different cities of Renaissance Italy, battagliola
took on many forms and each city soon developed their own
flavour.
Street Gang Violence in the Italian
Renaissance City States In Venice, dating back to 1369, there would be major street
battles for control of a bridge between the territories of the
In these matches, when it comes to a question of Castellani and Nicolotti factions.
reputation, glory and honour, the combatant is not a The Nicolotti were named after their headquarters – the
man but a Mars: it matters little or nothing if he has ancient church of San Nicolo dei Mendicoli – in the west of the
his face broken or scarred by fists, for it is enough for city. They would elect a Doge dei Nicolotti, who would lead
them in canal races, regatta and, of course, battagliola.
him just to please his faction and popular opinion and to
hear the shouting of “Viva! Viva!” On the “eastside” were the Castellani, named after the city
district of Castello. Both factions wore their gang colours
From the 12th century through to the 17th century, the city- - Black caps and scarves for the Nicolotti and red for the
states of Italy struggled to control the undisciplined masses Castellani.
of youth who were prone to rampage through the city streets.
To keep them in control, battagliola – mock battles – were The Venetian street-battles were originally organised with
organised by the authorities. sticks and shields until, towards the end of the 16th century,
they had degenerated into huge mobs dealing bloody violence
In this age of almost constant conflict it was also necessity to with bare fists and makeshift weapons. The bridge would be
keep the population trained and prepared for the defence of the focal point of the battle with each opponent attempting to
the city walls, especially given that many of the cities were beat and push their foe off the bridge and into the canals. The
dependent on the fighting capability of their urban militia. main goal however wasn’t so much the defeat of the enemy,
The Statuti del Popolo of Cremona in 1229 describes this best as fame – recognition from the audiences watching the battles
with the regulation that captains must take men from the from balconies and doorways. As a Nicolotti protagonist once
local population and train them during the religious festivals remarked:
throughout the year:
“The aim of our contests is not to kill or
“(Officers) must train the men of his district or Porta in the tear each other apart, but to win glory and
handling of arms, practising both offence and defence. This
reputation in the presence of the city.”
is done as exercise of this society, as to be vigilant and skilful
with arms.” In the City of Rome gangs fought in the piazza and
abandoned ruinous sections of the city. These gangs were
Of course, keeping control of these mock battles was hard
identified by either which side of the River Tiber they came
to do! Especially in an age where vengeance, feuds and
from, or by ethnic or religious affiliations (Jewish and
honour were held to be of central importance to peoples’ lives.
Christian gangs for example). They would toss stones at
Impromptu battagliola were often held outside of the watchful
buildings and public monuments to summon their enemy
gaze of city authorities and city guard. Neighbourhood
to battle – the bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius on the
battles could quickly ignite between gangs of youths or famed
Campidoglio was a popular target, because of the clanging
warriors with reputations for violence. It was considered a
sound it made.
poor battaglia that didn’t result in a handful of serious injuries
or deaths!
10
Giochi d’arme (games of arms) were popular in other cities.

In Perugia there were the battaglia dei sassi (rock-throwing
Renaissance Gang Organisation
battles). In Pisa there were the mazzascudo where the gangs The Chief – Capo or Doge
of the Gallo and Gazza factions, identified by golden and
vermillion helmets, fought during religious carnivals with Acquiring the skills needed for the battle, and the building of a
wooden clubs and shields in the Piazza delle Sette Vie – the factional reputation took time, and the most respected tended to be
Square of the Seven Streets. In the central piazza of Siena, the older artisans. The proficiency of such older masters as Manone
pugna – a huge fist-fighting brawl – would be held several (“Big Hands”) of San Nicolo and Capo Michiele of the Arsenal
times a year. greatly pleased the audience and went a long way to making an art
out of the pugni.
Of course, these mock-games could quickly turn deadly
serious. Chroniclers at the time often saw gang rivalry – The War of the Fist.
blooming into open urban warfare noting how battaglia: Having gained quite a reputation for themselves in numerous
“would be upset by the fighters themselves, who might well battles, the Capo would normally have undergone the long
explode in a factional frenzy under the numbing stimulus process of rising through the ranks to finally be recognised
of ample draughts of free wine and the deafening cries as the ‘leader’ of their gang. In many ways, they would
and whistles of as many as 30,000 onlookers, ending up also need to be recognised as much by the people from their
turning on each other with drawn daggers and machetes. neighbourhood as by his own men.
Some of the more aggressive spectators might also decide One famous gang leader, Tonin, was a tailor from San Luca
to join in the action, punching those nearby, brandishing who in the 1630s was described as “an assassin” who “lives
weapons, or lobbing paving stones into the thick of the by arms… gathering about him at his expense a large gang
scrum. In either case, the result was predictable and often of miscreants (malviventi) with whom he has assaulted and
deadly, as all boundaries between the factions, the fighters killed many”
and the onlookers dissolved into a stone-throwing, knife-
wielding melee, sending men and women from both factions Heroes – Tenente (Lieutenants)
scrambling panic-stricken away from the deadly battle field.”
Usually seen as particularly adept at their style of fighting, the
Blood feuds and vendetta between families and factions can lieutenant would be at the centre of the battaglia – frustrating
be seen as the cause of this escalation of violence. Family and frightening the enemy while encouraging their own gang.
vendetta would ignite duels and street battles between Perhaps a young nobleman from a renowned familia, armed
factions such as the Geremei and Lambertazzi in Bologna, the with expensive duelling weapons, and trained by masters,
Oddi and Baglioni in Perugia, the Visconti and Gherardesca they could maim and hurt while dodging away from attacks.
in Pisa, the Aigoni and Graisolfi in Modena, the Orsini Or maybe a lowly artisan such as a butcher or smith, their
and Colonna in Rome the Fieschi and Spinola in Genoa strength and commitment to the neighbourhood inspiring
and, perhaps most famously, the Capulets (Capuleti) and everyone else.
Montagues (Montecchi) in Verona.
With these gang fights becoming more and more deadly and
Toughs – Raffines
chaos erupting in the streets, the City Authorities began to Young males and older bachelors unbound by commitments
clamp down on the battagliola. By the end of the 17th century to family or employment would be quick to involve
they were seen less and less outside of heavily regulated themselves in battagliola. They would usually identify
contests during specific religious holidays. themselves by the colour of cap, scarf or tunic.
11
Weapons Capture the Bridge

The nature of the weapons involved changed over time. For (otherwise known as Capture the Flag)
the most part gangs wielded crude weapons like clubs, sticks, Renaissance gang battles usually had a focal point for their
stones and knives, as wells as their fists. There were however battle. Venetian gangs fought over bridges which bordered
a few exceptions: territories – like the Ponte del Carmine for example. In Rome
Canes it might be over the statue of Marcus Aurelius. While it was
the battaglia itself which was celebrated, the focal point was
Early on, Venetian gangs would battle with sharpened sticks,
also extremely important to onlookers when deciding who
protecting themselves with wooden shields or cloaks wound
“won”.
around their arms. These canes were hardened with boiled
oil, sharpened down one edge, and had a balance very close to At the centre of the battlefield, place a marker – a terrain piece
a slim sword. such as a statue, fountain or bridge.
Users became quite proficient with their canes, and combat If, at the end of the game, a gang holds the marker – they
became as much a demonstration of skill and proficiency with alone have units within a long card-edge – they win an
the weapon as it was about the outcome of the battaglia. As additional three Honour.
time went on and factional feuds deepened, the cane fell into
disuse and was replaced with a more deadly steel blade.
New Skills
Duelling
With fencing masters and schools abundant throughout Duellist 1 Honour Point
Europe during the Renaissance, protagonists began to use Characters only. Having trained extensively with many
these skills in street fights. This of course led to even more weapon in the art of combat, this skill allows the Character
bloodshed. While the fencing sword was the focus of much to gain the +1 preferred weapon bonus when playing both
of this learning, it was by no means the only weapon taught. ‘Spades’ and ‘Clubs’ Strike Cards.
Bastard swords, hammers, axes, staves and even farming tools
like the sickle were seen as useful weapons to train in.
Firearms
With the spread of gunpowder weapons from the 15th century
onwards, and training made available to lowly soldiers, Useful references
matchlock weapons such as the arquebus were sometimes
Robert C. Davis (1994) The War of the Fists:
used in street battles. They were viewed very dimly by both
chroniclers of the time and government authorities.
Popular Culture and Public Violence in Late
Renaissance Venice
If you wish to include a firearm in your Renaissance Italian
gang, you may arm 1 of your Heroes with a matchlock. The An amazing book, very hard to get your hands on,
weapon uses the same rules as a Flintlock Pistol but, due to its but worth the search. Davis draws on a 17th century
size, begins the game drawn rather than concealed. If you are manuscript (from an anonymous author) which
using the Alarm! rules, add 2 Honour Points from the central describes the history, vendettas, personalities and
supply to the pile at the beginning of the game. working-cultures of the battagliole which dominates
Due to their frequent use as a club on the field of battle, the Venetian life.
owner of the matchlock is also considered to be armed with a The Culture of Violence in Renaissance Italy –
short weapon.
Proceedings of the International Conference
2010 (edited by Cohn and Ricciardelli, 2012)
Special Rules Some useful chapters on rituals of battaglia and the
The Power of the Lady’s Gaze politics of urban conflict in the communes of Italian
With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls, cities. Easily available as a free downloadable pdf (just
For stony limits cannot hold love out, search for the above title).
And what love can do, that dares love attempt. Calcio Storico or Calcio Fiorentina
Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.
Rough and ready Italian football, still played today!
– Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, scene 2
If you want an idea of what some of the War of the
Young men were known to escalate their displays of Fists might have looked like and played out, do a
aggression, posturing for the benefit of young female youtube/vimeo/video search for Calcio Storico or
spectators peering down from high windows overhead. Each Calcio Fiorentina. A lot of the videos also display the
Renaissance gang player may place up to two female figures pageantry of the sport, the colours of the uniforms,
upon a building at any point on the table. and the scarred faces of the warriors/players in these
During the game, Honour gained from winning a round of games.
combat, when either unit is within a card length of a female
A great example here: https://www.youtube.com/
onlooker, is doubled.
watch?v=VVJEvtkFKBc
Honour gained as Blood Payment or from scenario objectives
is not doubled.
12
8. The 5 Points Tammany Hall

Tammany Hall was the Democratic Parties political
Gang Battles in old New York headquarters of 19th Century New York. Rife with
“Mulberry Street… and Worth… Cross and Orange… corruption, pay-offs and vote rigging, it was not long before
the political bosses saw an opportunity in the gangs.
and Little Water. Each of the Five Points is a finger.
When I close my hand it becomes a fist. And, if I wish, Probably the most infamous of these politicians was William
“Boss” Tweed. A man with his hand in every pocket, Tweed,
I can turn it against you.”
at the height of his power, was the director of several large
The Five Points neighbourhood was one of the worst, most companies drawing coin from the municipal purse and, the
crime-ridden slums of nineteenth century New York. Each of third-largest landowner in New York City. He used the gangs
the streets terminated in the ironically named Paradise Square as stand-over men to rig elections and to attack the interests of
which was built over landfill and rubbish filling a polluted political and business rivals. Not surprisingly, his enemies in
pond. Shortly, buried vegetation and sewerage began the American Republican Party were soon doing so as well.
releasing methane gas, buildings shifted on the poorly settled
The gangs were well rewarded by their political masters.
ground, and stagnant standing water due to poor drainage
Tweed paid off the Dead Rabbits with a gambling house
caused infestations of mosquitoes. The perfect place for the
guaranteed to be free of police interference. After retiring
city to dump immigrants, the poor and unwanted.
from his life of crime the leader of the Rabbits, John Morrissey,
When the Irish began fleeing the Famine of 1845 - 52, destitute himself served two terms in Congress between 1867 and 1871.
families began crowding the stinking, disease filled streets. Ironically, Morrissey would eventually testify against Tween
With little in the way of skills, and many not speaking English, when, in 1877, he was finally convicted of corruption.
both unemployment and crime were rife. Soon, gangs
were controlling everything from prostitution and vice to
firefighting.
Firefighting Gangs
One of the most unusual Warbands available in this period are
The most prominent gangs included the Broadway Boys,
the firefighters! The threat of fire was always a major concern
Bowery Boys, Natives, Forty Thieves, Kerryonians, Roach
in a city built with few amenities, no building regulations, and
Guard and the Dead Rabbits. Most used some form of ready
no city funded firefighting department. Citizens volunteered
identification such as, in the case of the Dead Rabbits, a broad
as firemen and, since cash rewards were paid to the first
red stripe upon their trousers.
firefighters on the scene, gangs like the Red Rovers and the
Exacerbating the situation was the unremitting racism most Black Joke quickly became involved. It was not uncommon
native born Americans felt against the newcomers. In an for rival firefighting gangs to battle it out on the street while
age of high unemployment, the Irish were seen as a disease buildings blazed away in the background. One gang, the Plug
infesting the city – an outlook worsened by the fact that they Uglies, got their name from their tactic of sending runners to
were Catholic in a country that was largely Protestant. put a barrel over the fire plug – and guard it until the rest of
the gang arrived to fight the fire.
Mobs of native-born American poor would clash with the
Irish gangs in bloody street battles for supremacy over turf in
the slums.
One of the largest battles began on the 4th of July 1857. The
Dead Rabbits raided, and set alight, the headquarters of their
long-time rivals the Bowery Boys. Not being lads to back
down from a fight, the Bowery Boys retaliated. Soon a bloody
street battle raged back and forth on Bayard Street between
Bowery and Mulberry Streets.
The battle continued for the next three days as barricades
were erected beneath a rain of thrown bricks and stones. The
conflict spread as the Kerryonians waded into the fracas, and
businesses and homes were pillaged in opportunistic looting.
Order was finally restored by the New York State Militia led
by Major-General Charles W. Sandford. In the aftermath of
the chaos, it was estimated that over a hundred people had
been seriously injured or killed.
13
5-Points Gang Organisation Special Rules

The Chief – The Boss Urchins
To rise to the top of a gang in the Five Points requires not only Mobs of stone throwing kids revelling in the chaos, Urchins
a streak of brutality a mile wide, but also the mind of a keen can also encompass civilians happy to lob a half-brick but
political operator. The cash flows not only from crime, but unwilling to “get stuck in”.
also from the coffers in Tammany Hall…
Cost: Each player receives 1 unit of Urchins for free. Any
Heroes – Hard Cases more cost 1 Honour each. Urchins are considered
Warriors, have 1 Wound apiece, and appear in groups
Rough-housers and bare-knuckle fighters from the slums, of 5. They wield short weapons (but see below).
these boys have made names for themselves with their
fists. In their experience, there is very little that the repeated Skills: None – Urchins can never be assigned skills.
application of violence will not fix. Urchins may never Charge into combat and, when caught in
hand-to-hand by enemy units, always fight using the Panic!
Toughs – The Mob rules.
Ragged ne’er-do-wells who’d strip the boots off your feet as Like any other unit, Urchins receive an Activation Card at
soon as look at you, the gangs of the 5 Points were filled with the start of the turn. Instead of moving or performing other
the poor who saw involvement as the only means of putting actions, they can use this card to chuck stones at an enemy
food on the table. unit in line-of-sight. The attack is resolved using the Missile
Weapons rules from the TRIBAL rulebook.
Weapons While they’re annoying little gits, thrashing a bunch of kids
By-and-large, the weaponry carried by the gangs of the 5 is seen as taking things a bit too far! When a player Destroys
Points would not be out of place in a riot today: knives, a unit of Urchins, instead of receiving Blood Payment, they
clubs and tools wielded in anger. The odd sword – whether must pay 1 Honour into the central supply.
a gentleman’s blade or a stolen military sabre – would, no Robot controlled police units ignore the payment made when
doubt, also make an appearance. Destroying groups of Urchins – they’re taking them into
This was also an era of transition in firearm technology as the protective custody…
old flintlock pistols gave way to cap-and-ball revolvers.
When arming a Character with a firearm, a flintlock pistol New Skills
adds the normal +2 Honour to the Warband’s total at the start
of the game. If you wish to arm your lad with a revolver The Big Pay Off 1 Honour Point
instead – use the rules for modern pistols – add only +1 Chief only. On these streets money talks. Once per game,
Honour. when an enemy unit of either Toughs or Urchins activates,
you may take control of their actions.
Toughs may be moved in whichever direction and at
Useful references whatever speed you wish. They will not move off the board
nor charge into combat with their erstwhile allies, but anyone
Gangs of New York (2002) else is fair game. Once engaged in combat, their owning
Directed by Martin Scorsese. If you’re at all interested player again takes over to play the Combat Hand.
in this fascinating period of American history do Urchins may be moved like Toughs but – as normal – will
yourself a favour and watch (if you haven’t already!) not charge into combat at all. The Urchin’s throwing stones
this fantastic movie. however may be directed at anyone within line-of-sight –
allies included!
Herbert Asbury (2003 ed):
Gangs of New York
Originally published in 1928, this book is not only
still very accessible, but full of great gaming ideas. It
was reprinted in 2003 and is available in print or as an
eBook.
J. North Conway (2014):
Queen of Thieves – The true story of “Marm”
Mandelbaum and her Gangs of New York
An excellent read and well worth grabbing. Again,
available both in print or as an eBook
14
9. Masked Vigilantes Vigilante Gang Organisation

Although seldom seen in reality, the idea of a band of The Chief
masked and costumed vigilantes taking to the streets Typically a masked vigilante – or foul villain – gangs form
to fight crime has an appeal that strikes a chord in around a charismatic leader with an iconic disguise and
the imagination. Fictional examples ranging from catchy name. This is represented by the Warband’s Chief.
The rest of the gang is usually styled on the theme of their
Zorro and the Scarlett Pimpernel to The Phantom and leader’s costume.
Batman, show that a hero doesn’t need to be a mutant
One option when building a heroic Warband is the Lone
or orphaned alien with superpowers to fight injustice –
Vigilante. A solo hero of prodigious skill and endurance who
they just need skill and determination. And of course, a is prepared to battle crime single-handedly. This Warband
stylish costume. consists of only the Chief. Such a hero will not only have
plenty of Honour Points to spend on Skills, but will also rely
And where there are heroic masked vigilantes, there on the use of the “Justice Sustains Me!” rule to help them
are also costumed villains. Their trademark disguises survive against overwhelming odds.
allow them to allude the law, while still affording fame Villainous Chiefs are more craven and will never fight without
and notoriety. Of course the difference between a hero the protection of expendable henchmen. They cannot be
and villain is subjective. Taking the law into their own fielded alone.
hands, and dispensing vigilante justice with acts of
Heroes
violence and damage to public property, makes the hero
as much of a criminal as the villains in the eyes of the A band of masked heroes or villains will often have a common
theme to their costumes – such as the Knights of Camelot
law. All the more reason for a hero to keep their mask or possibly Ninja Reptiles. Sometimes however they may
on… be an eclectic mix of crime fighters or evil-doers that have
temporarily banded together with a common goal.
Both villainous and heroic Warbands may include Heroes.
Unless a Lone Vigilante, a heroic Warband will be composed
entirely of Heroes and a Chief. Though they can tool
themselves up with useful Skills, they may find themselves
overwhelmed by the sheer number of a villain’s henchmen…
Toughs – Henchmen
A villainous gang leader may sometimes allow other powerful
evil-doers to join him, but usually just surrounds themselves
with numerous lesser minions who won’t draw attention
away or demand equal shares of any loot. Mere thugs,
Henchmen sometimes attire themselves in costumes that
mirror their leader.
Villainous Warbands may include units of Toughs. Heroic
Warbands cannot.
Weapons
A true hero may arm himself with righteousness alone but
his opponent may not follow the same code of principals. A
band of costumed vigilantes – heroic or villainous – can arm
themselves in the same manner as any other Brutal gang:
short weaponry (♣ Clubs) or unarmed (♠ Spades).
As normal, when unarmed Toughs triple their opponent’s
score in an Exchange they may use the Beat Down rule rather
than Overpower.
However should a Character choose to fight unarmed,
instead of using either Beat Down or Overpower they get the
advantage of striking a Mighty Blow against the chin of evil…
15
Firearms and Super Powers New Skills

Though it may seem odd to arm a costumed hero with a
Body Armour 1 Honour Point
pistol, early “Golden Age” vigilantes often went into combat
clutching their trusty .45. Another way of viewing a firearm Characters only. As not everyone fights fair, a hero
is as either a non-lethal stun weapon, or as the blast of a super sometimes needs to protect themselves with some form of
power or psychic ray. body armour. This ranges from bulletproof vests and Kevlar
jackets, to chainmail or even tortoise shells. When a model
Likewise, adding Skills such as Strong or Agile can replicate
wearing body armour takes a hit, the owning player draws a
the kind of low-level super abilities found in the vigilante
single card from their deck. If the card has a value of 11 (Jack)
setting.
or more the hit is nullified and no wounds are taken. The
drawn card is then discarded. If the card value is 10 or lower,
Special Rules the hit is taken as normal.
Mighty Blow In the case of an Overpowering strike or a Mighty Blow, only

one of the two wounds can be cancelled, meaning that 1 hit
Characters only. When an unarmed Character triples their will always get through the armour.
opponents score they make a Mighty Blow instead of using
the normal Overpower rule. Survival Instinct 1 Honour Point
A Mighty Blow doubles the number of wounds inflicted on Characters only. When a fight looks like it may be going
an opponent and the winner of the Exchange immediately badly, the hero can try and break from combat.
receives 1 Honour Point from the loser. This represents a
display of awesome strength and two-fisted skill that rattles The next successful Exchange made by the Character causes
the resolve of the opposition. Such a blow should also be no damage to the enemy unit. Instead, the Character discards
accompanied with an appropriate onomatopoeic sound such all of the remaining cards in their Combat Hand AND the
as KAPOW! or BLATT! same number of cards from their enemies’ Combat Hand.
These are drawn randomly if the enemy has a larger number.
Justice Sustains Me! Each card discarded by the Character counts as a completed
Lone Vigilantes only. Even the toughest hero will soon be Exchange and is added to those previously made. The combat
overwhelmed by weight of numbers. However, a true crime round ends, as normal, once 5 Exchanges have been made or
fighter draws power from their righteous cause. Any unspent both combatants have emptied their Combat Hands.
Honour points normally available to a Warband for units and If the combat hasn’t ended and the enemy still has cards
Skills, can be set aside to form a special Restoration Pool. A to play, continue the combat round until the number of
Lone Vigilante may expend Honour from this pool in order to Exchanges reaches the standard 5. The Character must play
revitalise himself enough to continue the fight. Panic! cards for any remaining Exchanges.
A hero may forgo their Activation to recover wounds. To do Characters who use Survival Instinct to forfeit are considered
this, the Hero must choose to spend between 1 and 3 Honour to have lost the combat round: their opponent gains the
points from their Restoration Pool. Draw one card from the normal Honour reward.
player’s deck for each Honour Point spent:
• Number cards (2-10) restore 1 wound to his or her profile.
• Picture cards (Jack-Ace) restore 2 wounds to his or her
profile.
• A Joker will fully restore all wounds to a hero’s profile.
A hero cannot regain more wounds than they started the
game with. Excess wounds recovered are lost.
16
Vigilante Scenario Game Length

Variable. At the end of each turn after the fifth, draw a card
from the deck. If the card’s value is equal to or less than the
The Heist turn number the game ends. The Police have arrived and both
He stands vigilant. Watching from the rooftops, his sides must flee.
heroic physique is silhouetted by the glow of the city Honour
lights in the night sky. The crack of a gunshot and a
Each player has a pool of 15 Honour Points. They may spend
scream sees him springing into action. Leaping across between 4 and 6 points on units and 0 to 5 points on Skills.
roof tops and sprinting along the skyline, his cape
streaming out behind him like a shadowy flag, he arrives Setup
at the scene of the crime. A gang of young punks All terrain is placed by the defender (the villains). The terrain
are relieving restaurant patrons of their money and should represent a building being robbed, located in the
jewellery while their leader, a massive brute in a tutu centre of the defenders half of the table within 2 long card-
edges of their table edge. Suitable street terrain should be set
and leering clown mask, watches over them with a still up surrounding this building. The villains must place all of
smoking pistol held high in the air. Using a line and their units either inside the building or within 1 long card-
grappling hook to slow his fall, our Hero swings from edge.
the rooftop to land in the street, behind the villains. The attacker (the heroes) then set up their entire Warband
within 2 long card-edges of the opposite side of the battlefield.
“Disturbing Clown! You and your band of evil doers
have robbed your last restaurant. It’s time for you to The Villains’ Objective
dine on Justice!” The villains as the defending gang must try and break through
A villainous gang is undertaking a robbery of an appropriate the line of heroes and escape off the heroes’ table edge. If the
venue: a bank, museum, sushi restaurant etc… Just as they villains also destroy all units in the enemy gang before the end
get their hands on the loot – the world’s second largest cubic of the game, they gain +3 Honour for the success of their heist.
zirconium for example – the heroes show up. Apparently
they intend to protect the establishment and dispense their The Heroes’ Objective
own brand of justice. Can they also protect the innocent The heroes – as the scenario’s attacker – are trying to
bystanders caught up in the conflict? dispense brutal judgement upon the villains Warband, while
preventing them from escaping before the police show up
to arrest them. The heroes gain +3 Honour at the end of the
game if no enemy units have escaped from the table.
17
Special Rules Rescuing Bystanders

A heroic Character can attempt to rescue Bystanders and
Innocent Bystanders escort them to safety. To do this, they must move into base-
Caught up in the robbery are a number of innocent Bystanders to-base contact with a Bystander. In future Activations, that
equal to the number of units in the villain’s gang. These poor unit may take their Bystander with them, but can move no
folk will probably spend the rest of the game milling about in faster than a Jog. Once the pair have been moved to within 1
panic or being used as human shields by the forces of evil! long card-edge of any table edge remove the Bystander. The
heroes may draw 1 Honour from the central supply as the
Hostages reward of righteousness!
A villainous Character may try to use a Bystander as a human Villains may of course freely shoot at a hero rescuing a
shield. To do this, they must simply move into base-to-base Bystander. Draw cards as normal to see which of the pair was
contact with a Bystander. In future Activations, that unit may hit. Needless to say, villains suffer no Honour loss (and little
take their hostage with them, but can move no faster than a remorse) if an innocent Bystander is killed.
Jog.
If a hero escorting a Bystander is involved in hand-to-hand
Any ranged attack made against that unit, risks hitting the combat, the first thing they will do is protect the life of the
hostage. If the unit is hit by a ranged attack, they can draw a civilian. Before drawing combat hands, move the Bystander 1
random card from their deck. A black card means the attack long card-edge behind the hero (or to an equally sensible spot
hits and kills the hostage instead. Remove the Bystander if this is impossible).
figure and, if the heroes made the ill-fated attack, then they
must lose 1 Honour from their supply. Run for your Lives!
In hand-to-hand combat against a villain holding a hostage, a At the end of every turn, Bystanders that have neither been
battling hero faces a difficult choice… Each time they win an taken hostage nor being rescued will move at a Jog in a
Exchange with a black Strike Card they must either free the random direction. Draw a card for each and use the suit to
hostage – forfeiting causing any damage to their foe, or strike determine which way they will flee: ♥ = North (the heroes’
– heedless of the hostage’s safety. board edge), ♠ = South (the villains’ board edge), ♦ = East or ♣
= West. Regardless of which direction they move, Bystanders
If freed from the clutches of evil, move the Bystander 1 long will never approach to within 1 long card-edge of a unit
card-edge – in a direction chosen by the hero – away from the controlled by a player – villain or hero. Any Bystander who
combat. moves to within 1 long card-edge of any table edge flees the
Just as with ranged attacks, strikes against a villain sheltering board and is removed from play.
behind a hostage risks hitting the wrong target. Draw a To keep the game from degenerating into a turkey-shoot,
random card from their deck. A black card means the attack Bystanders cannot be directly attacked by players – they can
hits and kills the human shield instead of the intended target. only be indirectly attacked when held as a hostage or while
Remove the Bystander figure and, if a hero made the attack, being rescued.
then they must lose 1 Honour from their supply.
Robot controlled police units will never fire at a villain
Once the hostage is freed or slain, the combat continues as holding a hostage. Likewise, in combat they will always use
normal. their first successful Exchange with a black Strike Card to
free a held hostage. They will not however attempt to rescue
Bystanders by escorting them from the board.
18
10. Mob Rule Nevertheless, even towards the end of the Roman Republic,
street violence and battles between mobs were seen as short-
term, disparate events. Food riots, protests against new laws
Urban Battles in the Late Roman or taxes, political machinations, criminal activity – over the
years, violence would flare up but just as quickly burn out,
Republic returning things to a state of normality. This was the case
until Publius Clodius Pulcher arrived on the scene. The
I was going down the Sacred Way, Clodius followed events of the time, with political clashes in the Senate spilling
me with his gang. There were shouts, stone-throwing, into the streets in violence, paved the way for the involvement
brandishing of clubs and swords, and all this without a of the very people the Senate was supposed to represent – the
Citizens of Rome.
moment’s warning. I and my party stepped aside into
Tettius Damio’s vestibule. Those accompanying me Much of what we know of Rome at this time, and particularly
easily prevented his roughs from getting in. the conflict between Tribune of the Plebs Clodius and his
political enemies Pompey and Milo, comes from the letters
– Cicero’s Letters to Atticus in Epirus, Rome, 24 Cicero wrote to his friend Atticus. Within the letters there are
November 57 BC. many descriptions of street battles waged between political
rivals – particularly Clodius and Milo. Clodius was known
The very origin myths of Rome are mired in violence and to organise the Roman collegia (worker’s guilds) and vici
conflict. The twins Romulus and Remus, fathered by Mars (civilian members of neighbourhood organisations) into
the God of War, killed their Great-Uncle Amulius – King of explicitly political groups – his operae. These he deployed at
Alba Longa – and established their own walled settlements. his discretion to mob local elections, attack opponents as they
The brothers soon came into conflict however when trying to moved about the city, and oversee the streets in wandering
decide whose settlement would make the best site for a future packs. The operae were difficult to control however, shifting
city. When Remus jumped over his brother’s walls, as a mark allegiances, sometimes on an almost daily basis, could see
of defiance, Romulus retaliated by killing him. Thus it was allies attacked and peace made with old enemies.
decided, via fratricide, that Rome would be the city built on
the banks of the Tiber. Romulus’ words: “So perish every one Cicero’s accounts of gang violence encompass everything
hereafter who shall leap over my walls” became the Roman from daylight assaults on the Sacred Way, assassination,
threat to all those who entertained thoughts of invading the arson, open warfare between gangs, destruction of public
great city. property, to attacks on the houses of prominent citizens.
Protection rackets, particularly ‘fire insurance’, were a
With the establishment of a Republican Rome, and a Senate favourite way of raising cash. Milo’s gang even brought
to hold the balance of power, there was an extended period about an armed occupation of the Campus Martius, the Field
of relative stability for the urban populace. Towards the of Mars – publicly owned land within the most populous
end of the Republic, however, there were moments where neighbourhood of Rome.
political conflict would spill out onto the crowded streets
and transform into mob violence and destruction. Tribune The threat of military intervention hung over these gangs, but
Tiberius Gracchus and 300 of his supporters found this out it was rarely imposed by the Senate or Triumvarate – mostly
the hard way when, in 133 BC, they were beaten to death by due to political factions interfering with each other.
a mob protesting against the grain tariffs he’d introduced. It Things came to a head in 52BC when Clodius, accompanied
is said that the murder weapons were fashioned from the by a guard of 30 slaves, crossed paths with Milo and an
benches located in the Roman Senate. The bodies were then escort of gladiators on the Appian Way 11 miles South of
unceremoniously dumped in the river Tiber. Rome. Combat quickly erupted, and Clodius was wounded
by a gladiator’s javelin. He and his surviving
retinue sought refuge in an Inn, but Milo ordered
the building assaulted and Clodius and his men
were slain. The political repercussions of this action
resulted in the exile of Milo and the loss of all of his
property. Milo himself died 4 years later when he
joined a rebellion against Julius Caesar.
19
Roman Gang Organisation Special Rules

The Chief The Power of Oratory
A mob would typically follow a patrician of a Roman family, The Tribunes and Senators of Republican Rome were
representative of a political faction. He would have the renowned for their passionate speeches which could draw
political and economic clout to organise followers to escort new supporters to the mob and compel them to violent action.
him through Rome, or to do his dirty work in elections or
Once per game the Leader of a Roman mob can use their
turf-wars.
activation to shout out a speech to the people of Rome,
However the mob could just as easily follow a gang leader pleading with them to join and support him in battling against
with the ability to draw and organise a collective of ne’er-do- their foes. He may spend between 1-3 Honour. Each Honour
wells – for example, a leader of a collegia, a returned veteran Point spent will add a figure to a unit of Toughs anywhere on
from the Roman legions, or a nefarious crime king. the board that has lost members as casualties. These units of
Toughs may never be reinforced above their starting numbers
Heroes (5).
Individuals who could stand out in the crowd, the lieutenants
in a Roman mob would need to be able to handle themselves
Faction Stronghold
in a fight. Gladiators were often hired as muscle for the Cicero frequently mentions combatants retreating into a
various mobs, their former training and familiarity with family stronghold or local building, where their enemies are
violence making them particularly suited for a spot of street held at bay – the buildings were fortified to hold out against
violence or murder. Returned legionaries, again trained in sustained attacks.
combat, might find themselves looking for employment in the
Units can retreat off their designated ‘home’ side of the
Capital. The house-guard of patrician families could also be
table – they are considered to be fleeing toward their Faction
expected to be at the centre of any conflict, given their fighting
Stronghold. The enemy cannot touch them, but they are
experience and equipment.
regarded to have left the battle.
Toughs – The Mob Draw a card for each unit that retreats: on a 2-6 the usual
These groups could consist of household slaves who were Blood Payment must be given to the opposing player – 1
expected to fight to the death for their masters. Ex-slaves and Honour for each unit of Toughs or a Hero, 2 Honour for the
migrant-workers from the provinces, disenfranchised and in Chief.
need of food and housing, would also align themselves to a On any other result, they get away without having to forfeit
collegia or gang. Finally, plebeians, Roman men and women any Honour.
of the streets, could be quickly caught up in the flames of
anger and retribution – getting involved in mob violence
purely as a form of political expression and as a means of
venting their frustrations.
Useful references
Tom Holland (2003): Rubicon – The Last Years of
Weapons the Roman Republic
A popular, accessible history on the last days of the
An old Roman law expressly forbid the carrying of weapons
Roman Republic, and Caesar’s rise to Emperor.
past the pomerium – a sacred line which defined the city.
Soldiers would also lose their military status when entering Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast compilation
the city, becoming citizens. Thus swords and spears, javelins 34-39 – Death Throes of the Republic Series
and bows, could not legally be carried throughout the city.
A 6 part compilation of the decline of the Roman
Of course, the gangs and their leaders found ways around
Republic, the last episode is particularly good.
this – usually smuggling weapons into the city and stashing
them away in caches for when they were needed. Thus Cicero https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-
repeatedly describes the violence in the context of deadly death-throes-of-the-republic-series/
clashes with swords and javelins. ROME the TV Drama Series
Of course, mobs were also able to fashion weapons out of A great view into the lives of the citizens of Rome – from
anything at hand – even a hail of thrown stones and masonry those in the highest positions, to the lowest citizens
could be deadly. struggling on the streets. The Second series has two of
the show’s protagonists – Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo
Finally, violent mobs on a rampage would often turn to fire.
– become involved in the conflicts between collegia in
Clodius’ supporters burned down the Senate’s Curia Hostilia
Rome.
(the temple in which the Senate was housed) using its fiery
destruction as a funeral pyre for the hapless Clodius. Andrew Lintott (1999 2nd ed): Violence in
Republican Rome
An exploration of the gang warfare in Rome in the Late
Republic, explores the organisation and conflict in depth.
20
11. Wasteland Warriors Weapons

Concealing weapons is no longer a priority. In fact,
Post-Apocalyptic Gangs brandishing any weapon you have scavenged or made, to
In the dark future that follows The Event, there is warn off threats and rivals, is standard practice. For this
reason a post-apocalyptic gang member would have access
no law but survival of the fittest. Gangs are the to long weapons. An improvised spear or lump of cement
communities of survivors: the tribes of the future. swung on the end of a chain is a good means of making sure
Post-Apocalyptic gangs are standard Warbands with a other scavengers keep their distance! Use the standard long
few subtle differences. and short weapon types (including Missile Troops) from the
TRIBAL rulebook.
Post-Apocalyptic Gang Firearms are rare and ammunition scarce. A leader may
have scavenged a pistol or shotgun as a symbol of his or her
Organisation authority, but would still be wary of firing it too often lest the
handful of ammunition available run dry.
The Chief – The Warlord
Use the standard firearm rules with a couple of modifications:
The prophet of the Old Ones, the Gods speak to them through • When a unit is equipped with firearms it affords no
a small plastek box… Or possibly they’re just barking mad. Honour. Instead, each flintlock or sawn-off costs the
In the world after The Event, only the biggest, most brutal and Warband 1 Honour. Modern pistols cost 2 Honour Points.
most heavily armed rise to lead a gang.
• Heroes may only be armed with home-made flintlock
pistols. Only the Chief can carry a sawn-off shotgun or
Heroes – Captains modern pistol.
These crazies enforce the bloodthirsty whims of the Warlord, • Firing weapons does not cost Honour Points. In a setting
and keep the Crusties in line by the control of food and water. that has no law, no one gets too upset when the lead starts
They’re feared in combat and guaranteed to be loyal. At least flying.
until another opportunity presents itself… • In a setting where guns are held in superstitious awe,
destroying a unit with firearms does give Honour. The
Toughs – Crusties shooter is awarded the standard Blood Payment.
The filthy masses are enlivened only by an array of fascinating • If a 2 or 3 is drawn from the deck when firing, the
diseases and a can-do attitude. Life in the wastelands Character is out of ammo. The weapon is useless for the
after The Event is short, brutal and often ends in a dinner remainder of the game.
invitation; As the main course. The only way up is to gain the
If you want to keep the Alarm! mechanic when the bullets
attention of the Warlord or one of his captains by displays of
start to fly, just add spare Honour tokens from the central
loyalty and extreme violence.
supply to the Alarm! pile whenever shots are fired. While
there may no longer be any representatives of the law to be
alerted by the sound of gunfire, it may attract other unwanted
attention… Mutants, Rad-Zombies, Morlocks or subterranean
Beetle-folk are just some of the possible denizens of the
dystopian new-world-order.
21
New Skills Rad-Zombies

Glowing, moaning and always ravenously hungry. Do not
Ammo Stash 1 Honour Point eat.
Characters only. After making a lucky find when scavenging 1 Wound each Rad-Zombies are warriors and appear in
in the rubble, the Character never runs out of ammo. They groups of 7. They have short weapons.
must, of course, continue to reload as normal.
Skills: Slow – cannot move faster than a Jog.
Special Rules Stupid – if using the Solo Play rules, Rad-

zombies do not draw Activation Cards.
Since we’ve mentioned them, I guess we’d better cobble Instead they will always move to engage the
together some stats! nearest enemy unit. Units of Rad-Zombies
with only 1 or 2 figures remaining will
Mutants continue to attack and will not combine with
Horribly mutated and utterly insane, the cannibalistic freaks other zombies nor retreat off the table.
who roam the wasteland are feared by the tribes. They do If you really want to make these ‘orrible things even more
however make good eating… dangerous, add the following:
2 Wounds each Mutants are Warriors and appear in groups The Glow After every round of combat with Rad-
of 3. They have long weapons (spears, Zombies, surviving human units must draw
lashing tentacles and the like). a card: if a 2 or 3 is drawn the unit must
Skills: Cunning, Fearsome (see the TRIBAL suffer an additional wound. If this causes
rulebook). a figure to be removed as a casualty, add +1
Rad-Zombie to the nearest enemy unit.
Subterranean Beetle-Folk
Morlocks
Were these chitinous brutes brought about by the cause of The
Event? We may never know. When The Event occurred, government officials were quick
to abandon the rest of humanity and fled to deep bunkers.
Also make good eating. Morlocks are their pale, luminous-eyed and barely human
5 Wounds each Beetle-Folk are Characters and appear in descendants. Tasty, but unsatisfying.
groups of 1. They wield short weapons. 1 Wound each Morlocks are warriors and appear in groups
Skills: Strong, Skilled (see the TRIBAL rulebook). of 5. They can have either short or long
weaponry.
Skills: Agile, Throwing Weapons
(see the TRIBAL rulebook).
22
12. Smog & Soot In the 19th Century, the Peaky Blinders ruled much of
Birmingham. Their name came from the razor blades sewn
into the peaks of the flat caps they all wore. From humble
Gangs of the Victorian and beginnings in petty crime, the gang grew to take control over
much of the black market in the city. Donkey jackets, bell-
Edwardian Eras bottoms, steel-capped boots and the ubiquitous flat caps were
their uniform.
The massive urbanisation of industrialising populations
Of course, gang activity grew in other industrialised cities
around the world created cities that teemed with
around the world as well. In Paris, the newspapers likened
people – many of whom, particularly the young and criminal mobs to “the savages of the New World” – the
unemployed, found common identity in the gangs that Apaches. Of course, the leaders of the gangs loved the name,
roamed the ghettos of tenements and shanty towns. In and took the sobriquet as their identity. Violent clashes
the cities of Great Britain, these groups soon involved between Apaches and the police took place throughout Paris,
often with weapons such as the dreaded Apache Revolver – a
themselves in crime and violence – carving territories combination of brass knuckles, pistol and dagger! The Coup
in the expanding neighbourhoods. In 19th and 20th du Père François was a favoured mugging technique, whereby
Century London, the Forty Elephants Gang, from the one Apache would garrotte a victim, while others kept a
Elephant and Castle district, were all female. In the lookout and pickpocketed the suffocating unfortunate.
early 20th century, Diamond Annie was the queen of In Australia, gangs were commonly referred to as a “push”.
the gang by the age of 20. She guarded her territory Young males and females, referred to as larrikins by
jealously – if other gangs drifted into her area, a ‘grab journalists in Australian newspapers, would terrorise people
on the streets or rush a pub or shop and steal food, clothing
and bag’ would soon be enacted, and the victims would and alcohol. The most famous of the Sydney gangs, the
receive a right good kicking. Rocks Push dominated the gang scene in Sydney from the
The Scuttlers, of Manchester and surrounding areas, were 1870’s to the 1890’s. Their leaders would be determined by
large gangs of youths from poor neighbourhoods. With bare-knuckle boxing matches. The writer, Banjo Paterson,
names like the Bengal Tigers and the She Battery Mob, the identified them by black bell-bottoms, black long-coats, a
Scuttler Turf Wars kicked off in the 1870’s and continued for gaudy neckerchief, and fancy boots.
nearly three decades! The Scuttlers would cruise the streets in One of the more surreal gangs was the Crutchy Push of
their gang uniform – brass-tipped clogs, bell-bottom trousers, Melbourne. To qualify as a member of the Crutchy Push you
coloured scarves, flat caps and long fringes. Their weapons had to have a missing limb, a thirst for booze and a fighting
of choice were daggers and thick leather belts with sharpened attitude. Valentine Keating, the leader of the gang, had lost
buckles – which they would whip around like a flail. his right leg from just below the knee and, like most of his
In 18th and 19th Century Liverpool, the High Rip Gang thugs, he used his crutch as a deadly weapon when fighting
were locked in a bitter war with the Logwood Gang. Vicious pushes from neighbouring suburbs.
beatings and murders were inflicted on rival gang members “The Crutchy Push, with one exception,
and innocent members of the public – usually around the
docks, where all sorts of criminal activity went down. consisted of one-legged men. The exception
was a one-armed man who kept half a brick
in his sewn-up empty sleeve. He led his
followers into battle swinging the weighted
sleeve around his head. Behind him came the
men on crutches – each one expert at balancing
on one leg. The tip of the crutch was used
to jab an opponent in the midriff. With the
enemy gasping for breath, the crutch would be
reversed and the metal-shod arm-rest would
be used as a club.”
– The Sydney Morning Herald
23
New Skills
Razor Slash 1 Honour Point
Useful resources
Eureka Miniatures: 28mm Crutchy Push Figures
Unarmed Toughs & Characters only. A bloody slash from a
and Police.
carefully concealed razor-blade can make all the difference
when the fists begin to fly. When the unit wins a combat Available in the “Right Bloody Mess” section, these
Exchange with a Strike Card, they can elect to cause no are wonderful figures. The police – both mounted and
damage to their opponent. Instead, for the remainder of the on foot – are also useful in many other settings. The
combat hand EVERY card their enemy plays will have its section also includes a group shearing sheep – nothing
value adjusted by -1. This penalty can only be applied once to do with street gangs, but so unusual it was worth
per combat and is removed once the combat ends. mentioning!
Peaky Blinders – TV Drama Series
A highly acclaimed BBC series currently in its fourth
season. Grim, gritty and fantastic viewing, it’s
definitely worth a watch.
Andrew Davies (2008): Gangs of Manchester –
The Story of the Scuttlers
A great read and full of game ideas – available in print
or as an eBook.
24
Defense Dans La Rue

Taking care of yourself on the Streets
The 19th Century Parisian street thugs – otherwise
known as the Apaches (pr. ah-pahash) - had a set of
rough and devious, yet highly effective, methods of
street combat. “French Apache street fighting” focused
on unexpected kicks, hand strikes, head-butts, throws,
and a nasty assortment of weapons such as knuckle
dusters, knives, razors, scarves, jackets, hats, and the
Apache gun.
The head-butt was a favoured Apache attack when robbing
unsuspecting victims, because it could be utilised at very
close range. One particular trick would have an Apache
distracting a victim by asking for the time or a match while
simultaneously tipping their hat . When the victim responded
by reaching into his pocket, the Apache would suddenly
throw his hat into the opponent’s face, quickly step forward
and deliver a low head-butt to the solar plexus. The Apache
could then: straighten-up with a powerful butt under the chin;
or grab the legs and throw the victim to the ground; or pull
the victim’s jacket over their shoulders to tie up the arms,
and follow-up with blows to the victim’s unprotected face.
Grabbing the lapels of the jacket to control the opponent’s
upper body while delivering a combination of head butts into
the face was also another Apache tactic.
In turn, another item of clothing useful in attack was the scarf.
Working with an accomplice, an Apache girl would chat up a
victim on the street. A partner would sneak up from the rear
and loop a scarf around the victim’s neck, drawing the crossed
ends of the scarf over his shoulder. From here, the partner
would turn and bend forward, pulling the scarf and the victim
- raising the victim’s feet off the ground. This would allow the
Apache girl free reign to peruse the pockets of the choking
victim.
Another nasty trick had two Apaches following their intended
victim up a flight of stairs - one in front of the victim and the
other behind. The Apache in front would abruptly stop to turn
and confront the victim, bearing down on them from above.
Meanwhile, the second Apache from behind would drop
down and pull the victim’s trouser cuffs back, forcing the
victim to fall forward. Either Apache in front or behind could
jump on the victim, causing major injuries on the hard steps.
25
Le Canne Vigny
“One does not stop to consider the matter of etiquette
when the robber’s hand grabs the gold watch and a
confederate tries to garrotte you from behind. In such a
case, a straight punch on the point followed by a kick on
the knee cap are fair means” - Pierre Vigny
As a reaction to the vicious street-fighting techniques of
the Apaches, various schools of Savate and Self-Defence
developed to combat these techniques with their own.
Sometimes this could involve various items available to a
pedestrian wandering the streets – a hat, a jacket, a chair, a
walking stick.
The bowler hat, a durable and strong fashion accessory, could
be improvised as a small buckler to defend against knife
attack. Jackets could be made of thickly woven hemp that
protect against weapon blows – particularly when wrapped
around the forearm of the defender. Sometimes coins and
heavy objects were knotted or sewn into sleeves and pockets,
to add enough weight so that its user could whip the jacket
into the face and eyes of their opponents.
The walking stick, or Le Canne, became another favoured
weapon – as it was a common enough accessory for the 19th
Century gentleman or lady. Pierre Vigny demonstrated its
uses while running an academy of self-defence in London at
the turn of the century, inspiring others such as Rolt, Lang
and Longhurst to develop and teach techniques of self-defence
with the cane and walking stick. Longhurst gives valuable
advice in Simple Tricks of Self-Defence:
The best stick you can have is one possessing extreme
toughness and strength, with pliability: one that will
not bend too much, will not snap if a transverse strain be
suddenly laid upon it, as in a down ward blow, one that
will not easily splinter, and is not too heavy to use with
the greatest quickness.
A good Irish blackthorn – shillelagh - is perhaps the ideal
stick, and the work it will do in the hands of desperate
man familiar with its use is remarkable. Oak, ash, and
hazel also make serviceable walking sticks with which a
handy man can do a lot of mischief; but they are not the
equals of the blackthorn.
Bear in mind, if attacked by a ruffian armed also with a
stick, to hold your own weapon nearly one-third of its
length from the ferrule; the lower portion serves as an
excellent guard to your arm and elbow.
An upward prod under the chin or in the throat with the
sharp ferrule will hurt a man considerable, and when you
do “get one in” and your assailant steps back, if you step
quickly in with your right foot, raising your right arm,
the handle may be dashed with great force at his head.
26
27
Welcome to Brutal! – the third book in the TRIBAL series.

Within, you’ll find rules and backgrounds detailing the
politically charged slums of New York’s Five Points,
mob battles in the Italian Renaissance, post-apocalyptic
wasteland tribes after The Event, street violence in ancient
Rome, turf-wars in the grimy alleys of the Victorian era,
and even two-fisted masked vigilante action!
We’ve also included rules for packing heat, intervention
from the boys in blue, solo play, black powder musketry
and even horrific subterranean beetle-folk!
You will need a copy of the TRIBAL rules to use this book.
28 Honour is everything!

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Close Up and Personal Combat

Close Up and Personal Combat

By: Lon Teal, Aramiha Harwood & Adam Gehling

Graphic Design: Peter Overton

Figures used in this publication:

Follow us on our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/tribalgame

Tribal community player group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/248072718885549/

1. New Rule Suggestions for TRIBAL

2. The Weaponry of Brutal Warbands

3. Barkers, Heaters & Irons - Guns in Gang Warfare

Leg it! Alarm!

Weapon Types Tu-Para & Blunderbuss

Take a double-barrelled shot-gun and apply a hacksaw

Skirmisher 1 Honour Point

Brace of Pistols 1 Honour Point

6. Soldiers: Black Powder Muskets in Tribal

It costs 1 Honour to equip a unit of Toughs Combining Fire

Giochi d’arme (games of arms) were popular in other cities.

Weapons Capture the Bridge

8. The 5 Points Tammany Hall

5-Points Gang Organisation Special Rules

9. Masked Vigilantes Vigilante Gang Organisation

Firearms and Super Powers New Skills

Mighty Blow In the case of an Overpowering strike or a Mighty Blow, only

Vigilante Scenario Game Length

Special Rules Rescuing Bystanders

Roman Gang Organisation Special Rules

11. Wasteland Warriors Weapons

New Skills Rad-Zombies

Special Rules Stupid – if using the Solo Play rules, Rad-

Defense Dans La Rue

Close Up and Personal Combat

Welcome to Brutal! – the third book in the TRIBAL series.

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Skirmisher 1 Honour Point

Brace of Pistols 1 Honour Point