This is a cooperative, GM-less survival horror game. Your goal is
to survive, build a defensible Base, and explore the shifting,
hostile landscape. The game is driven by player choices and
automated outcomes from a standard deck of playing cards.
Action & AP Costs
Each day, you have a pool of Action Points (AP) to spend. The day
ends when all players choose the Rest action.
Action
AP Cost
Notes
Move
1 AP
Move to an adjacent, explored location.
Explore
4 AP
Move to an adjacent, unknown location and reveal it.
Make a Check
2 AP
Attempt to overcome an obstacle or attack an enemy.
Concede
4 AP
Safely disengage from a check or combat. Costs 2 Stamina.
Forage
6 AP
Perform a Forage check to find supplies or items.
Heal Wound
12 AP
Requires a [Medical] item.
Consume 1 Supply. Heals 1 Wound.
Project Work
12 AP
Attempt a check on a Base Project.
Making a Check
All challenges are resolved with a check. Your goal is to meet or
beat a Target Number (TN).
If your check result is less than the TN, you fail. Immediately
draw a card from the Draw Deck to determine the final outcome.
Ace: Critical Success!
Your failure becomes a stunning success. Gain a Knack.
K, Q, J: Normal Success
Your failure becomes a simple success.
10 to 3: Standard Failure
You suffer the obstacle's listed Failure Effect.
2: Critical Failure!
Suffer the Failure Effect and gain a permanent Scar.
Character Creation
Follow these steps to create your survivor. Your character's
legacy, through the Base, persists even after death.
Draw Your Background: Draw one card and find
the corresponding background in the Reference section. This
gives your starting gear, tags, and domain bonuses.
Assign Core Domains: You have 1 additional
point to distribute among the four domains (max 5).
Calculate Vitals:
Action Points (AP): 24 + (Finesse x 2)
Maximum Stamina: 5 + Combat
Inventory Slots: 5 + Resilience
Focus Points: 2 + Knowledge
Gather Gear: Note your starting items. You also
begin with one "Supplies" item (Durability 5).
Tactical Combat
Combat is player-facing. Enemies present a static challenge (a TN
and a Failure Effect) that you must defend against or overcome.
Combat Flow
Combat repeats in two phases until it ends:
Player Phase: All players
spend AP to take actions in any order.
Enemy Phase: All enemies
activate one by one, in an order chosen by the players.
Tactical Zones
Engaged
Hand-to-hand range. Use [Melee] weapons.
Nearby
Short distance. Use [Ranged]
weapons.
Far
Long distance. Requires [Precision] weapons.
The Enemy Phase
For each enemy activation, follow these steps:
Follow AI Tags: The
enemy's AI tags ([Aggressive],
[Overwatch]) dictate its
movement and targeting priority.
Player Defense Check: The
targeted player must make a defense check against the enemy's
TN.
Resolve the Check: On a
success, nothing happens. On a failure, make a Consequence Draw.
If the final result is a failure, suffer the enemy's Failure
Effect.
Base Building & Crafting
Your Base is your persistent legacy. Any location with the [Shelter] tag can be converted into a Base once all its
obstacles are cleared. Base upgrades are completed through
Projects, which require a number of successful checks to complete.
Reference Database
This section contains all the game's reference tables. Use the
filters and search bar to quickly find what you need during play.