Blackstone Fortress Rules + Order of Play v1.

2
Welcome to the PDF version of my ​Notion-based​ Rules + Order of Play for Blackstone Fortress,
designed to compliment the Blackstone Fortress box set, and streamline the game-play
experience.

This doc is designed to be printed double-sided, pages 2 - 9.

The info is broken up into:

A: EXPEDITION

B. PRECIPICE

C. COMBAT SET UP + NOTES

D. COMBAT TURN
 A: EXPEDITION

1. Exploration step

Draw an exploration card:

● Challenge

○ Follow instructions on card then return card to game box

○ Activation dice that might be required in combat not required

● Combat

○ See C. Combat Set Up

2. Recovery step

MUST RETURN TO PRECIPICE + MAKE RECOVERY ROLLS IF ALL EXPLORERS OUT OF ACTION AT END OF A COMBAT.

OTHERWISE...

1. Recovery Rolls:

● Roll Blackstone dice for any explorer out of action:

○ Explorer dies if roll is ​equal or less than number of grievous wounds
■ All collected cards lost + expedition ends - survivors return to Precipice

RETURN TO PRECIPICE AT THIS POINT IF AN EXPLORER DIES OR IF GROUP WISHES TO ABORT EXPEDITION

2. Vitality Rolls

● Grievous wounds cannot be healed during an expedition unless otherwise stated on explorer card.
● Roll explorer Vitality dice for any explorers who have obtained wounds during the Exploration step:

○ Failure = nothing happens

○ Success = remove 1 wound
○ Critical = remove up to 2 wounds

3. Leadership step

● Pass on leader marker

● Explorers can exchange or give away discovery, resource and/or stronghold artefact cards

Continue to next Exploration Step ⤴

 B. PRECIPICE

1. Heal and remove inspiration

● All wounds removed upon entering Precipice

● All inspiration points removed upon entering Precipice

2. Legacy step

● Shuffle legacy deck

● Draw a card at random:

○ Countdown = no effect (represents time to complete quest ticking down)

○ Otherwise, apply effect / add hostile group to all future expeditions
○ If no cards left, quest failed

3. Trading step

1. Set up ships

● Turn spacecraft onto facilities side

● Shuffle spacecraft resource deck + deal 3 cards
● In leader order, each explorer can visit single spacecraft
○ Rein + Raus must visit same spacecraft
○ +1 trading point if visit own spacecraft

2. Explorer actions:

1. Use facilities if wish

2. Trade one or more archeotech cards into trading points if wish
3. Purchase resources if wish (inc +1 bonus if applicable)
4. Place purchases by explorer card
5. Shuffle spent archeotech cards into discovery deck
6. Any unspent trading points lost at end of trading step
7. Repeat for each explorer ⤴

Trading Cards

Explorers on same expedition can exchange / give away discovery cards, resource cards and/or Stronghold artefact
cards:

● During the Leader step of each exploration round

● At the start of an expedition after setup is complete
● At any time when at Precipice
Embark on next Expedition ⤴ or put game into stasis

C. COMBAT SET UP + NOTES

Set up

1. Shuffle Encounter Deck and draw card for each discovery marker

○ First combat of an expedition = Traitor Guardsmen / Negavault Cultists / Ur-Ghuls / Spindle Drone cards

2. Deploy hostile groups:

○ 1 in discovery marker hex

○ Others in same hex or adjacent + in cover from any explorers if possible
○ 5+ Traitor Guardsmen = must inc Sergeant + Flamer

3. Deploy Explorers on Maglev

4. Turn spacecraft cards to function side
5. Check explorer cards for abilities, weapons and secret agenda / resource card effects / spacecraft functions
6. Set up Initiative Deck - explorers + hostile groups
7. Fight combat via repeat combat turns (see D. Combat Turn)

Reference Notes A-Z

● Ambush first turn initiative rules

○ Shuffle hostiles + place on combat track first

○ Then shuffle explorers + place

● Attack rolls

○ If an attack involves more than 1 dice, roll both and choose best result.
○ Failure = miss
○ Success = Inflict 1 wound (1 point damage)
○ Critical Success = Inflict 1 grievous wound (3 points damage)

● Cover

○ Attack Roll altered so Success = failure / Critical = success

○ If Explorer and Hostile on opposite sides of a wall, cover not applicable.

● Defence rolls (explorers only)

○ Before any wound applied, roll Defence dice for explorer

■ Failure = apply wound or grievous wound

 ■ Success = Wound negated / grievous wound converted to wound
■ Critical = Wound / grievous wound negated

Reference Notes A-Z continued...

● Hex limits

○ Hostiles: 3 small / 2 small + 1 large / 2 large / 1 huge

○ Explorers: 2 explorers / Ratlings + 1 other explorer

● Line of sight

○ Unlimited until blocked (cover not included)

● Movement (explorers)

○ When you move an explorer into a hex adjacent to a hostile, this ends that explorer’s move and it must
halt.
○ If an explorer starts a move in a hex adjacent to a hostile, they can move normally (unless they move
into a hex adjacent to another hostile)

● Overwatch triggering

○ Triggered if move or attack ends in sight of explorer on overwatch

○ One weapon action per trigger
○ If more than one explorer on overwatch, choose first, then attack in leader order.
○ If hostile killed, other triggered explorers discard dice
○ Overwatch dice removed at end of activation phase

● Stunned

○ Place explorer or hostile on side

○ When stunned explorer next activated, remove 1 activation dice + stand up
○ When stunned hostile next activated, stand up + don't roll on behaviour table
○ If stunned and stunned again, suffer 1 wound

● Wounds + out of action (explorers)

○ Grievous wounds cannot be healed during a combat encounter

○ Wounds + grievous wounds take up an activation dice space
○ If all covered, can use destiny dice (limit of 2 / turn)
○ If additional wound received, explorer is out of action:

■ Remove explorer + initiative card from board

■ Attempt recovery at Recovery Step following combat encounter
D. COMBAT TURN

1. Destiny phase

● Roll destiny dice + discard duplicates

● Place remaining dice on Precipice board for use during turn
● Explorers can individually use up to 2 per turn

2. Initiative phase

1. Activation rolls

○ Roll activation dice for every explorer

○ Place on explorer cards

2. Initiative

○ Shuffle initiative card deck

○ Deal cards in order on combat track

3. Covering fire

OPTIONAL + BEFORE ANY GAMBITS

○ Two explorers visible (line of sight) to each other can swap position of initiative cards on combat track

4. Gambits

OPTIONAL / CANNOT USE DESTINY DICE

○ Explorer spends one activation dice per gambit (can attempt multiple times)
○ Roll dice according to Agility value:

■ Failure = no change
■ Success = swap with closest hostile
■ Critical = swap with any hostile
 3. Activation phase

Explorer Actions

● Recuperate (1+)
○ Cannot use if out of action
○ Grievous wounds cannot be healed unless stated
○ Make vitality dice roll:
■ Failure = nothing happens
■ Success = remove 1 wound
■ Critical = remove up to 2 wounds

● Move (1+)
○ Move up to Move value

● Aim (1+)
○ Spend dice before weapon action - ignore cover

● Use Resource Card (see resource card)

○ Check card for any activation cost
○ If 'exhausted', cannot be used again in same combat turn, but can in next turn

● Use Weapon (see explorer card)

○ See explorer card for activation cost + attack options

● Unique (see explorer card)

○ See explorer card for activation cost + attack options

● Use ship support function (see ship card)

○ See ship card for activation cost + effect

● Search (4+)
○ Draw a discovery card on discovery marker tile - must not be adjacent to visible hostile

● Summon (4+)
○ Call maglev transport - must be adjacent to portal

● Overwatch (2+)
○ Use any remaining 2+ dice
○ Reduce value by 1 to determine attack(s)

REMEMBER!

Inspiration roll

● Make inspiration roll at end of activation if any hostiles killed (only during activation)
● Roll Blackstone dice:
If equal or less than combined wounds of slain hostiles = gain 1 inspiration point
Hostile Group Actions

Check Spindle Drone threat level before their action if in play.

1. Reinforcement roll

If any (or all) hostiles in group have been slain, roll Blackstone dice:

Small Large Huge

1=6 1=4 1=1

2=4 2=2 2+ = 0
3=2 3=1
4+ = 0 4+ = 0

● Deploy adjacent to portal + as close as possible to hostile from group

● ATTACK if explorer visible + in range - otherwise MOVE towards nearest explorer if no explorer visible
● Activate rest of hostile group, in order of proximity to explorers

2. Behaviour rolls

Roll Blackstone dice and check value against hostile group card:

● Advance
○ Move towards closest explorer and attack if in range + visible if possible

● Aim
○ Attack the furthest in range + visible explorer if possible
○ Ignore cover

● Charge
○ Move towards closest explorer
○ Attack adjacent + visible explorer
○ If NA - move towards closest explorer again (but don't attack)

● Fall Back
○ Double move value
○ Move to hex not visible to explorer
○ If not possible, attack closest in range + visible explorer

● Hold
○ Do nothing

● Onslaught
○ Attack closest explorer in range + visible.
○ Then attack again (can be different explorer if equally close or if first taken out)

● Sneak
 ○ Move that ends as close as possible to an explorer without entering visible hex (up to max move value)
3. Use inspiration points (OPTIONAL)

● Explorers can hold no more than 4 points

● Can be spent on:
○ 1 = Re-roll an action dice
○ 2 = Attempt a gambit without using an activation dice
○ 3 = Spend a 4+ to Search any hex
○ 3 = Flip the explorer's card to inspired side

4. Event phase

If all Explorers out of action or in Maglev, combat ends - return to Expedition steps.
If continue, make Event roll:

● 1 = All Is Dust
If any discovery markers are still on the battlefield, the leader must discard one of them. If there are no
discovery markers, each explorer loses 1 inspiration point, to a minimum of 0.

● 2-3 = Unfulfilled Destiny

Do not make a destiny roll at the start of the next turn

● 4-6 = Not Dead Yet

The leader must pick one hostile that was slain during the combat and has not returned to the battlefield, and
then deploy them as close to an explorer as possible.

● 7-10 = Changing Conditions

Draw and encounter card. If the card has a twist, it applies for the rest of the combat. If not, there is no effect.

● 11-14 = Escape Chamber

The leader replaces the portal furthest away from any explorers with a Maglev. If more than one portal is
equally far, the leader can choose which one to replace. If this event has already been rolled, or if an explorer
has used an Summon action, there is no effect.

● 15-17 = Inspiration
The leader picks and explorer to receive 1 inspiration point.

● 18-19 = Heroic Effort

The leader picks an explorer that is out of action. Deploy the explorer in the same hex as another explorer or as
close as possible and then make a vitality roll. If no explorers are out of action, the leader picks and explorer and
they make a vitality roll.

● 20 = Lucky Find
The leader picks and explorer, who draws a discovery card.

Proceed to next Combat Turn ⤴

Combat can be ended at any time when Maglev summoned and all explorers have entered - return to Expedition
steps