Hell Dorado

GAME SYSTEM
S Rules
yst and
èmeGame-Play
de jeu
S
o, here you are, eagerly gripping your little must be rolled in some situations. In general, each d6
lead figures still sticky from their last lick will be considered independently.
of paint (Anyone who thought they can use
unpainted minis is welcome to visit Croc for
a good spanking with his spiked plank). You Fathoms
have agreed with your opponent on how large and
powerful your armies will be, and you have laid out a The standard unit of measurement used in Hell
glorious battlefield. All you have to do now is learn the Dorado is the Fathom, which, although it is now only
following rules by heart (more or less). used to measure nautical depths, was still in use at
the time when Hell Dorado is set to measure dis-
tances on land. It is equivalent to an average man’s
D own to Basics height. On the battlefield, this will be scaled down to

a standard inch.
For those of you who do not live in countries where

the Imperial system is still used (unless, of course,
Dice you had the great idea of investing in an inch-gradu-
ated measuring tape to check the size of your new
Playing Hell Dorado only requires six-sided dice, flat-screen monitor), consider a fathom to be 2.5cm.
also known as “d6” by Those Who Know. Ideally,
each player should have at least five six-sided dice
(d6) handy. Some of the numbers used on the stat Distance
cards or in the rules will mean that that number of d6
When the rules state that a unit should be at or
within a certain distance from another unit or from
a spot on the battlefield, this means that any part
of its base that is at that distance fulfills that condi-
Introduction tion. A unit is considered to be inside an area from
the moment when any part of its base is inside the
area. This is the general rule, but we may remind
you of it again if required. In all other cases, the
This chapter will give you the basic, essential specific rules will state if and when the whole of
concepts you will need to understand the the base needs to be at a precise distance or within
rest of the rules. Some of them will be using a specific area.
concepts that will be explained later. If you
don’t understand everything to begin with,
don’t worry, you can come back to it later. Measuring
In any case, you will quite probably have to
read the rules several times over to fully ab- When playing Hell Dorado, players can measure any
sorb them. part of the battlefield at any time. You can, for exam-
ple, measure the distance between two units, between
one of your own units and a point on the battlefield,
HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ1 1 24/10/07 18:12:14

GAME SYSTEM
Unit A is inside the explosion area. 3’’

B
Unit B is 3 fathoms away from its opponent.
1 measuring distances between units and effect areas
or between one of your units and one of your oppo-

nent’s, etc. Contact and Control Area
Directions CONTACT
One unit is considered to be in contact with another
Miniatures in Hell Dorado are not considered to have if their two bases are in contact, or if a part of one
a specific facing. It is treated as though the course of of them touches a part of the other. A unit touching
the battle is not really chopped up into phases and another unit is said to be “engaged”. The terms “in
turns. Each unit is considered to turn automatically contact” and “engaged” are equivalent when applied to
to face a danger or an opponent. So there’s no use opposing units.
bickering about whether your miniature’s front arc is
touching your opponent’s or not. CONTROL AREA
Most of the Hell Dorado models have a control
area of one fathom. This means that any unit that
comes within a distance of one fathom from an
enemy unit will be considered to be inside that
For those who like to meddle unit’s control area.
in the affairs of minis Unless otherwise specified, once units are engaged
they lose the effects of their control areas.
The control areas of units affect the way their oppo-

No doubt that some of you, when reading this nents can move. See the chapter on control areas effect
particular rule will jump to the conclusion that on page 14.
they can mess with their miniatures so contact
becomes much easier (by changing a vertical
spear into a horizontal one, for example). Far The Tap
from wanting to crush your creative spirit, I must
however warn you that anyone caught doing this If, at some point in the game, the rules alone do not
will be thrown into a large vat of sulfuric acid. enable you to resolve a conflict between players, two
Previously, I will of course have ensured that their solutions can be used:
hands are cut off and sent to their mini-painting The first is the well-known heads-or-tails technique.
club. Once news of this hits the headlines, I’m Basically, you pick some handy object, such as a coin,
pretty sure that anyone else who had come up a frying pan, or your girlfriend, and you flip it up into
with any similar smart idea will think twice about the air, after betting on which side you think will be
it. As for the unfortunate miscreant, apart from visible when it hits the floor. Obviously, if you want
making bubbling noises with his mouth while to use this technique to end an argument, it tends to
waiting for the rest of his body to be completely help if both players pick opposite sides.
dissolved, he will no longer be of any nuisance to The second option is our personal favorite, albeit one
any of the true Hell Dorado fans. requiring skill and therefore best if only used by players
of experience: a Tap on the cheek. When an argument
cannot be settled by simply applying the rules, the first
of the two players to gently tap the other on the cheek
wins. This should be done with caution, as, if the tap

GAME SYSTEM
These minis are in contact

with their opponents.
2 two miniatures engaged by their bases, then by the figures
turns into a slap, the too-brutal slapper is immediately OFFICERS

disqualified. A slightly safer version is the tap on the Officers are the soldiers who lead Companies into bat-
back of the hand, but this is, of course, much less fun. tle. They are unique beings who all have their own iden-
tity. They can therefore only be one each per Company.
These units have unique support and command abilities
T he Armed Forces that are linked to their character. The rules for compos-
ing Companies will tell you how many Officers you will
be able to hire for your Company, depending on the total
number of army points you have agreed on with your
opponent. Usually, in a standard Company, you will only
Unit Ranks be allowed one Officer. All Officers automatically pos-
sess the orders vae soli and vae victis (p. 27).
Each unit has one of the three following ranks:
Officer, Independent, or Trooper. The Officers are INDEPENDENTS
unique (they should only be present once per Com- Independents are elite soldiers who join the Compa-
pany) as are the Independents who have an identity. nies seeking fame and fortune, or just for the pleasure
Troopers and anonymous Independents can be used of butchering invaders or natives. These soldiers have
several times in the same Company. special abilities which are often exceptional. When put
to the right use, they can change the course of a whole
battle on their own.
3 diagram of a miniature’s control area
The control areas of units

affect the way their opponents
can move. See the chapter on
3 control areas effect on page 14.

GAME SYSTEM
MOVEMENT (MVT)
The Company This score indicates the distance in fathoms that a
unit can move in one turn when walking at a normal
pace. This value can change depending on the actions
undertaken by the units or the orders they receive.
In Hell Dorado,
Dorado, each player has tactical control
of a Company of soldiers or units. Each unit xample: the average human unit has
is physically represented by a miniature. They a Movement score of 5 if it is carrying
are all different, with different ranks, stats, little or no armor. In all other cases
types, base sizes, etc. All these concepts are the Movement score will be 4.
explained in greater detail further on. A whole
chapter (p. 33) is entirely devoted to their spe- SHOOTING SKILL (SHS)
cial abilities. This score represents a number of dice. This is the
number of dice that will be used when the unit attacks
with a ranged weapon (bow, arquebus, throwing dag-
ger, grenade, etc.). This stat represents the unit’s skill
The Independent units with an identity (their own at using its weapon.
name) are unique and can only be hired once per Com-
pany. For all others, their Availability (p. 8) will tell you xample: the average human unit will
how many you are allowed to have in any one Com- have a SHS score of 2 if it carries a
pany at the same time. ranged weapon. If it doesn’t, then the
SHS score will not even be mentioned.
TROOPERS
Troopers are the huddled masses of random soldiers COMBAT (CBT)
who are the heart of the Companies, the nameless This stat represents a number of dice. This is the
cannon fodder who fight and die for the glory of their number of dice used by this unit during close combat.
commanding officers. Multiple Troopers of the same This stat represents the unit’s talent for attacking, its
kind can be used in the same Company. The limits to physical abilities in combat and its equipment. It is both
their recruitment are defined by the unit’s Availability a reflection of the unit’s warrior fury and its pure skill.
stat (p. 8). A unit with no Combat stat cannot fight, even if it
receives a CBT bonus later on. All attacks against it
will remain unanswered. A unit with a CBT stat of 0
Unit Statistics will not usually throw any dice during a mêlée, but it
can receive a bonus that will allow it to do so.
Each unit on the battlefield is defined by a series
of statistic numbers that you will find on all the stat xample: the average human unit has a
cards. Combat score of 3.
DEFENSE (DEF)
As the name suggests, this score is an indicator of
Red and Green the difficulty that others will have hitting the unit dur-
ing a battle. It is this score that the unit’s opponents
will roll their attack dice against when in contact (and
sometimes when attacking from a distance). This stat
On most stat cards, the units’ statistics are printed represents the unit’s speed, skill and martial talents.
on two different colored backgrounds: red and Unless stated otherwise, a unit’s Defense score can-
green. The value of the red stat is the basic value. not be higher than 5. In some very rare cases, always
The value of the green stat is the one that should stated as such, the Defense score can reach 6.
be applied when the unit is in a wounded state.
One exception: on the bar of life points on the xample: the average human unit will
back of the card, the green backgrounds are for have a Defense score of 3.
the point from whereon the unit is considered
to be wounded.
PROTECTION (PR)
This score is a representation of the unit’s armor
(natural or not) and its resistance to hits. It is directly

GAME SYSTEM
Front Missionnaire UNIT’S NAME
MOVEMENT
4 UNIT’S FACTION SYMBOL
DEFENSE 3
3
FAITH 4
3 4
COMMAND
1
AVAILABILITY
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Limité 3
Indépendant Papiste (chrétien)

Humain Mentaliste KEYWORDS
ARMY POINTS Mâle
Ennemi juré 2 Fanatique

25 (démons et damnés)
Back Missionnaire
UNIT’S NAME
LIFE POINTS
SHOOTING SKILL
- 3 3 2 8 3 1
- 4 4 3 4 COMMAND
COMBAT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 FAITH
DEFENSE Touches Dégâts LIFE POINT BAR (WOUNDED
Encensoir
STATE IN GREEN)
1 2
Contondant 2 Sonné
PROTECTION 3
4
4
5
5 6
POWER TABLE
WEAPON Dieu est mon bouclier
Passif • 1 CMD
Tous les combattants alliés sont immunisés contre la
Terreur jusqu’à la fin du tour. SPECIAL EFFECT
DAMAGE TYPE
Aura de peur
Temporaire • Actif • 4 toises de rayon • Résiduel • Chrétiens (immunisé) DAMAGE POINTS
ORDERS
Les combattants autres que chrétiens subissent un malus de -1 CBT.
Aura de puissance
Temporaire • Actif • 4 toises de rayon • Résiduel • Chrétiens
Les combattants chrétiens causent 1 touche de plus lors d’un
AURAS combat au contact si au moins une touche a été obtenue.

Aura de soins
Temporaire • Actif • 4 toises de rayon • Instantané • Papistes
Les combattants papistes regagnent un nombre de PV égal à leur FOI.
4 Analyzing a stat card (front and back): Missionary
subtracted from the total number of damage points shield, full body shell...). A higher score is
inflicted during an attack. possible but remains exceptional.
xample: a Protection value of 0 LIFE POINTS (LP)

means a total lack of armor; a value This stat represents the number of damage points
of 1 means light armor or natural a unit can take before dying in battle. If this value is
protection (leather, small shield, thick skin) ; followed by a second one printed on a green back-
a value of 2 means a medium level of armor ground, this second stat indicates the number of Life
or natural protection (chain mail, leather and Points below which the unit is considered Wounded.
metal-plated armor, partial metal armor...) ; This second value is called the Wound Threshold
a value of 3 means heavy armor or natural (WT). The initial number of Life Points is reduced after
protection (full plate armor, chain mail and each hit depending on the number of damage points

GAME SYSTEM
that belong to specific beliefs, and

also as a way to resist hostile magi-
cal powers. A unit with the keyword
Unbeliever (p. 7) does not have a
Faith stat, and any ability, spell or
aura that requires Faith will have no
effect on it.
xample: the average

human unit has a
Faith stat of 1
COMMAND (CMD)
This stat represents the capac-
ity the unit has for influencing the
behavior of its allies during battle.
This value is added to the total Com-
mand score of the Company when
the game begins (p. 24).
When a unit with a Command

score of at least 1 is eliminated, its
score is immediately removed both
from the Company’s original Com-
mand total and from the Company’s
current value.
xample: the average

human Officer has a
Command score of 4.
inflicted, and the new value becomes the current Life Weapon Statistics
Point total.
A unit dies when its current Life Point total is equal
to or less than 0. POWER TABLE
The power of a unit’s weapons is represented in a
A unit is Wounded as soon as its current Life Point power table, showing the number of Damage points
total is reduced to or below the Wound Threshold inflicted depending on the number of hits obtained
printed on the green background. during the attack roll.
For mêlée weapons, this stat is both a representa-
xample: the average human unit has tion of the unit’s strength, its weight, the weight of the
an initial Life Point total of 4/1. This weapon and its skillfulness at “hitting the target”.
means it has a total of 4 Life Points For ranged weapons, this stat represents the strength
and will be considered Wounded as soon of the unit for some weapons (bows, slingshots, throw-
as it only has 1 Life Point left. In the same ing weapons...) and the natural power of the weapon
way, a unit with a Life Point total of 5/2 has itself for the others (arquebus munitions, crossbow
a total of 5 Life Points (it will take 5 Damage bolts).
Points to kill it) and it will be considered The power tables always indicate the damage inflicted
Wounded as soon as it has 2 (or fewer) Life for 1 to 5 hits, even if the unit in question doesn’t
Points left. have a combat stat that enables it to achieve such a
score. This is in order to accommodate for any positive
FAITH (FTH) bonuses that may affect the unit.
This stat represents the unit’s spiritual strength and Some special effects can be triggered by a certain
it can be considered a bonus for the magical effects number of hits.

GAME SYSTEM
The player controlling the attacking unit can choose to be the target of a special attack, if it will be affected
to inflict less hits than they obtained with their attack by magical effects or not, etc.
roll (or even none at all if he wishes). The nature of a unit can therefore define several ele-
ments of its personality.
Explosive or blast-effect weapons do not have a
power table. You will find more information on how Rank (p. 3) is listed on the stat card as a
these weapons work on pages 22 and 23. keyword.
• Officer
xample - A Succubus using her whips • Independent
will have the following power table: • Trooper
Species
• Angel
Number of hits Damage points • Animal
1 3 • Damned
2 4 + Pain 2 • Demon
3 6 • Lost
4 8 • Human
5 6 + knocked down • Lemure
Gender
She rolls 3 hits against an opponent for her • Asexual
attack roll. She can therefore inflict 6 Damage • Female
points. She can also consider inflicting only 2 • Male
hits, so she can inflict only 4 Damage points Religion
to her opponent but make him suffer a Pain When it comes to religion, the units can be given
effect for 2 turns. She could also choose to a general belief in certain principles (Christianity,
inflict only 1 hit and 3 Damage points or 0 Satanism, Islam...) or a more precise belief in certain
hits and no damage. dogmas.
Units who believe in a specific dogma are affected by
R ANGE (FOR R ANGED WEAPONS) the effects of their general belief and those associated
This stat defines the difficulty of a ranged attack. with their particular dogma.
The value is a number of fathoms. This value will be • Atheist
multiplied to obtain the levels of difficulty depending • Buddhist
on the distance between the attacker and its target. - Yanluowang (Buddhist)
You will find the rules about shooting distances in the • Christian
chapter on ranged combat (p. 18). - Papist (Christian)
- Orthodox (Christian)
DAMAGE TYPE - Protestant (Christian)
Most weapons have a keyword that defi nes the • Jewish
kind of damage it will infl ict. The most common • Muslim
ones are Sharp, Piercing, and Blunt, but there are - Shiite (Muslim)
many more, including more exotic ones (gaze, inhala- - Sunni (Muslim)
tion, etc.). This keyword doesn’t have any effect (in - Kharijite (Muslim)
general) on the game, but is used to trigger certain • Satanist
special abilities. Some weapons can infl ict multiple - Luciferian (Satanist)
types of damage. • Unbeliever (this is applied to all units who can
never be affected by the powers that concern
WEAPON ABILITIES religion. They do not have a Faith statistic.).
Some weapons have special abilities that will distin-
guish them from others. Their full descriptions are on Magic
page 33. • Infernalist x/y
These are the units that can control lemures. This
keyword is special in the sense that it is followed by
Nature of the Units two numbers. These indicate the number of lemures
that the unit can control at one time (x) and the total
Each character is defined by a number of keywords number of lemures that it can use during a game (y)
that should give you a better idea of who they really (p. 28).
are. These keywords will determine if a unit is eligible

GAME SYSTEM
xample: Asaliah, a rebel angel, has the

keyword “Infernalist 2/3”. This means Value, Faction and
she can invoke 3 lemures during the
game, and control 2 at the same time.
Availability of a Unit
All units are worth a certain number of Army Points.
• Mentalist This number represents the unit’s power on the bat-
These are the units that have one or several auras (p. tlefield. Usually, a standard Company is made up of
28). miniatures whose army points total no more than 200
(p. 40).
Each unit belongs to one of the game’s Factions
Magic, Special Abilities and (Westerners, Saracens, Demons, the Lost and Merce-
Orders naries). The Troopers mercenaries and Independent
mercenaries can be hired by other Factions (p. 40).
Mercenary Officers can also be tolerant towards other
Some units can use auras or control lemures (see Factions (if they have the special ability Prestige) and
above). Most of them also have special abilities that can therefore hire Troopers and Independents from
give them various bonuses (p. 33). Abilities which are those Factions under certain conditions (p. 40).
printed in red have an effect on the unit which is (at least All units have an Availability stat that represents the
partially) negative. Finally, the Officers and some of the density with which they can be used when composing
other units can use orders (p. 27). All of these special a Company (p. 40).
powers will be described in full in their own respective Unique: the unit has an identity: it can therefore
chapters. only occur once per Company, no matter the size of
the Company.
Limited x: the unit can occur several times in any
Unit Base Sizes one Company. There can be x specimens in each par-
tial or complete group of 200 army points in any one
Company (p. 40).
All the units in Hell Dorado are fitted onto round Unlimited: the unit can be used as frequently as
bases that are suited to their size and mass. There are possible in any one Company. There is no limit to the
three sizes of base, and some of the game’s rules take number of specimens of this unit that can be hired in a
these sizes into account. Company. This is the default value of all units.
Regular sized base (30mm diameter) Associated (name of unit) x: this miniature can
Large base (40mm diameter) only be used if the unit named between brackets is
Extra Large base (50mm diameter) hired to the Company. There can only be x specific
units associated with one named unit.
5 three units side by side
Large unit
Extra Large unit 8 Regular unit

GAME SYSTEM
currently Dominant (a large marble, a skull on a stick, a

Limited X/Y cucumber, etc.).
Before the battle begins, both players must work out
their initial Dominance score. This is the sum of all the
Command values of the officer and the independents
When a unit has two possible variations, its in the Company, plus the number of units lined up for
Availability is indicated by two numbers. This battle (except the units with the special ability “Insig-
means that the maximum number of this unit is nificant”), plus the sum of any First contact values (unit
limited to X for each complete or partial por- special ability) present in the Company. Do not add the
tion of 200 points, and out of these X units, a Command values of any units who do not start out on
maximum of Y can be of the second type des- the battlefield. Command should be calculated even if
cribed on the stat card. the whole Company is not present on the battlefield
when the game begins.
xample: Pillars of Faith, If both players have an equal Dominance score, the
Daggers/Halberd, Limited 3/2. player with the most units in his Company achieves
A Company of 200 points can Dominance. If there is still a tie, the player with the
use a maximum of 3 Pillars of Faith (all officer with the highest Command score still in play
types) and out of those 3, a maximum gets control of the marker for this turn. If the tie per-
of 2 can be halberdiers. sists, flip a coin (or use the Tap).
After the first turn of the game, control of Domi-
nance is determined by the number and the nature of
Transformation (conditions • new shape): This the units that were killed during the previous turn.
model can change its shape and statistics during the Both players count the number of significant units
game. This transformation will take place once the (not counting Insignificant units) that they lost during
conditions indicated between brackets are fulfi lled. A the previous turn.
transformed unit appears with full life points, even if The player who has lost the least units is granted
the previous shape had suffered damage. Dominance for the next turn.
If both players have lost the same number of units,
then the player who already had Dominance keeps it
D ominance through the next turn.
The concept of Dominance is one of the key elements

of Hell Dorado. It defines the general way in which one
T urns
of the two sides will dominate the other. It represents
the way the warriors in the Companies feel during the
battle, whether they’re feeling superior or on the contrary
if they have a vague fear of being overrun. As you will
see later on, Dominance is the way to resolve many Turns
situations and work out which player starts each turn.
If necessary, Dominance can be physically represented
on the table by a marker held by the player who is
A Hell Dorado turn is split up into two phases :
Upkeep phase and Action phase. During the
Upkeep phase, the players work out who has
First Dominance Dominance, Command scores are reset to their
basic values, and all the special effects that
take place during this phase are applied.
Dominance = sum of officer and independent During the Action phase, the players alternate ac-
CMD + number of units (minus Insignificant tivating their units one by one, until all of them
units) + sum of First contact values. have performed their actions. Once this is fi-
nished, a new turn begins.

GAME SYSTEM
A game of Hell Dorado is split up into a certain num- as soon as a player has finished the actions of a unit,
ber of turns. In basic battles, the number of turns in a it is the other player’s turn to act. However, as we will
game is limited (see scenario details in complete rules). soon see, this rule is quite often abused. In any case,
each unit can only be activated once per turn (except
for lemures, see page 28). All units must be activated
Upkeep Phase every turn.
It is during this phase – the first phase of every To limit the risk of arguments, it is considered good
turn – that the players resolve any special effects or manners, once one has finished the action of one’s
situations that last more than one turn. unit, to let one’s opponent know that they are free to
play. A standard phrase can be chosen, such as “The
1) At the beginning of the Upkeep phase, the cur- table is yours,” or even “Dude, s’your turn.” Once this
rent Command score of each player is reset to its has been said, the previously active player can no lon-
original value. ger use a vae soli order (p. 27).
2) The question of Dominance is resolved (p. 9).
3) Then any damage that should be inflicted is done, DEFINITIONS
followed by any healing. In both cases, this is done A unit that has not yet taken an action during the
simultaneously by both players. current turn is said to be waiting.
4) Finally, each player resolves any other powers, A unit that is currently taking an action is said to be
orders, auras and abilities that have an effect active.
during this phase. If this causes any problems, A unit that has already taken its actions for this turn
the player who currently has Dominance is said to be already activated.
gets to choose the order of application of A unit that is in contact with an enemy unit is said
the effects. to be engaged.
A unit that is not engaged with an enemy unit is said
to be free.
Action Phase Allied units are all the units currently controlled by
the same player.
Once both players have finished their Upkeep phase, Enemy units are all the units controlled by the other
the Action phase begins. player or players (even temporarily). Enemy is synony-
mous with opponent.
During this phase, the players will be making their
units act in turn. The basic rule of this phase is this:
10

GAME SYSTEM
DOMINANCE Attack
At the beginning of the Action phase, the player who Normal movement • Contact with enemy unit •
has Dominance chooses which of the two players acti- Free units only
vates one of their units first. The unit moves as if it was performing a Walk action,
The player that is chosen therefore has to activate but it ends its activation in contact with an enemy unit,
one of its units, even if he has fewer units on the triggering a normal combat action (p. 15). This action
battlefield than his opponent. can only be performed by a free unit.
Charge
INFERIORITY OF NUMBERS Movement x 2 • Contact with enemy unit • -1 CBT
When a player has to play one of his units and he has when contact is made • Free units only
fewer waiting units than his opponent, he can choose to The unit moves as if it was performing a Run action,
make his opponent activate one of their units instead. but it ends its activation in contact with an enemy unit.
This way, he can continue to “skip his turn” for as long This immediately triggers an attack sequence affected
as he has fewer waiting units than his opponent. by Charge modifiers (p. 16). This action can only be
performed by a free unit.
This rule does not apply to the first unit activated Shoot
each turn. The side to activate the first unit is always Normal movement • Ranged attack • No contact
chosen by the player with Dominance. with an enemy unit • Free units only
The unit can perform a ranged attack against any
xample: Ileana has Dominance for the eligible target (p. 18). It can also move a distance up to
current turn. She currently controls 8 or equal to the value of its Movement score before or
Lost units. Her opponent, Arnold, has after shooting. It cannot end this movement in contact
4 Westerner units left. with an enemy unit. The unit can either move and
Ileana makes Arnold play first at the then shoot or shoot and then move, but it cannot move
beginning of the Action phase. He is part of the distance, shoot, then continue moving. This
therefore made to activate one of his 4 action can only be performed by a free unit. It is the
units. Then Ileana plays one of hers. When only action that allows a unit to use a ranged weapon
it’s Arnold’s turn to play his second unit, he at a distance.
refuses, as he only has 3 units left and Ileana Retreat
has 7. This way, he can make her play all her Movement x 2 • No contact with an enemy unit •
units until she also has only 3 waiting units Triggers one-sided attack during Retreat • Engaged
left. However, Arnold does have the option to units only
resume activating his units at any time after The unit announces its intention to retreat from
each of Ileana’s moves, if he wishes. the combat it is engaged in. It immediately suffers a
one-sided attack from one of its opponents, to which
ACTIVATION it cannot retaliate (p. 17). It can then use a Run-type
Once a unit is activated, the player that controls it can Movement, unless the previous attack killed it or left
choose to perform a single action from the list below. it in a specific state (p. 29). It is impossible to come
All units must act once per turn. None of them can act into contact with an enemy unit when using a Retreat
multiple times (except for lemures, see page 28). action. This action can only be performed by an
engaged unit.
Walk If, during the one-sided attack, the enemy unit has
Normal movement • No contact with an enemy less than 1 attack die, the attack is canceled and the
unit • Free units only Retreating unit can then transform its Retreat action
The unit can move a distance up to or equal to the into a Walk, Run, Attack or Charge action.
value of its Movement score before ending its activa- Concentration
tion. The unit cannot end its activation in contact with Free units may move normally • No contact with
an enemy unit but it can enter an enemy control area. the enemy
This action can only be performed by a free unit. Engaged units may not move • Modified attack
Run sequence
Movement x 2 • No contact with an enemy unit • The unit announces its intention to use an active
Free units only (see Special effects and timing, page 26) power (spell,
The unit can move a distance up to or equal to dou- special ability, order...).
ble its Movement score before ending its activation. If the unit is free, it can move a distance up to or
The unit cannot end its activation in contact with an equal to its Movement score, either before or after
enemy unit but it can enter an enemy control area. using its power. It cannot end its movement in contact
This action can only be performed by a free unit. with an enemy unit. The unit can either move and then
11

GAME SYSTEM
use its power, or use its power and then move, but
it cannot move part of the way, use its power and Actions
continue its movement.
If the unit is engaged, it cannot move and it
begins combat, affected by Concentration modifi-
ers (p. 17). If the outcome of the combat is a change In practice, it isn’t usually necessary to announce
of state (p. 29) for the unit (or its death, of course), the action that the current unit is about to un-
the power has no effect (however, all costs must still dertake beforehand.
be paid). Therefore, a unit can be moved up to the dou-
Focus ble of its Movement score in fathoms: if it co-
Free units may not move mes into contact with an enemy unit, it will
Engaged units may not move • Triggers one-sided be considered to have performed a Charge
attack during Focus action ; if it ends its activation outside of any
The unit announces its intention to use an exhaust- contact or control areas, it will be conside-
ing (see Special effects and timing, page 26) power red a Run action.
(spell, special ability, order...). Walk and Run actions may seem very similar, but
If the unit is free, it cannot move at all, neither before some elements of the game (using auras, or-
nor after using its power. ders, etc.) will take the «speed» of movement
If the unit is engaged, it cannot move and one of into account. For example, a unit can be orde-
the enemy units it is in contact with gets to launch a red to perform a Walk action. It would not, the-
one-sided attack at it (p. 17). If the result of the attack refore, be able to move further than its Move-
involves a change of state for the unit (or its death, ment score in fathoms.
of course), the power will have no effect (however, all
costs remain due).
Mêlée
Limited movement • No loss of contact • Normal
combat • Engaged units only activation in an area of terrain on which it could
The unit engages an attack sequence against an normally move over.
enemy unit in contact with it. This action can only be If, during this movement, it comes into contact with
performed by an engaged unit. another enemy unit, it can choose with which of the
two it wants to engage in an attack sequence, while, of
At the beginning of its activation, if the unit is course, remembering that in this situation the two enemy
in contact with only one enemy, it is allowed to units will be providing each other with support.
move where it wishes to as long as it remains in If the unit is already in contact with multiple enemy
contact with the enemy unit. It must however end its units, it cannot move, but gets to pick which of the two
enemies it wants to fight (attack sequence).
6 Different types of movement
B
Unit A has performed
a Walk action
Unit B has performed
a Run action
C Unit C has performed
a Charge action
Unit D has performed
an Attack action
D Unit E has performed
a Mêlée action.
E
12

GAME SYSTEM
Quick chart of actions
Free Units
Walk Normal movement • No contact with enemy units
Run Movement x 2 • No contact with enemy units
Attack Normal movement • Contact with enemy units
Charge Movement x 2 • Contact with enemy units • -1 CBT when contact is made
Shoot Normal movement • Ranged attack • No contact with enemy units
Concentration Normal movement• No contact with enemy units
Focus No movement
Engaged Units:
Retreat Movement x 2 • No contact with enemy units • Triggers a no-retaliation attack
Concentration No movement • Modified attack sequence
Focus No movement • Triggers a no-retaliation attack
Mêlée Limited or no movement • No loss of contact • Normal attack
It is important to remember that a passive power (p. have chosen to use it after the attack
26) can be used at any time during a unit’s activation, sequence (if he survived it, of course).
no matter what action is being performed at the time. During the attack sequence, Stephen can
This does not trigger any particular reaction, whether choose to spend 1 or 2 of his current
the unit is free or engaged. It can even be used before Command points to add 1 or 2 points
or after – but not during – an attack sequence or a to Saurav-Geet’s CBT stat, thanks to
ranged attack (if the unit survives, of course). Isha-Akshay’s vae victis order. Indeed,
A free power can be triggered at any time during the vae victis order is a free effect,
the Action phase, whether the unit has already been and it can therefore be used at any
activated or not (even during an enemy unit’s activa- time during the Action phase, whether
tion) but never during an attack sequence or a ranged the unit who possesses it has been
attack. activated or not, and as many times
A free unit can decide not to perform any actions as the player can afford to do so.
during its activation (it will not, however, be able to act Once his independent unit has finished its
later on during the same turn). activation, Stephen can spend one of his
An engaged unit must act once it is activated (Mêlée, current Command points, if he has any
Retreat, Concentration or Focus actions). left, to give a vae soli order (free effect)
Once a unit has finished its action, in order to and therefore activate a second unit,
remember which units have been activated, you can Isha-Akshay in this case, immediately.
flip their stat card over. By doing this, all players can
easily see which units are still waiting and which have
already been activated.
xample: Stephen has 2 Lost units.

M ovement
One of them is Saurav-Geet (an
independent), who is engaged in
contact with an enemy unit. The other is All movement distances are measured in fathoms.
d Isha-Akshay (the Company’s officer). A moving unit never has to spend all of its movement
n When his turn comes to act, he decides to potential (it can even choose not to move at all). It
d activate Saurav-Geet and make him perform doesn’t have to move in a straight line, either. During
n a Concentration action. He can then use its movement, its base can never overlap the base of
d his Exuvia power (an active power) if he another unit (ally or enemy). Some elements of the ter-
n survives an attack sequence as modified rain can block or hinder movement, as you will see in
d by the Concentration action, meaning - the detailed terrain rules in complete rules.
n 1 CBT and -1 DEF for Saurav-Geet.
d If he had possessed a passive power,
n. he could have used it before he began
the attack sequence. He could also
13

GAME SYSTEM
A unit that begins its activation within the con-

Control Area Effects trol area of one (or more) enemy units can:
perform an action that will allow it to engage its
enemy as directly as possible (or one of them); or
Most units in Hell Dorado have a control area of a perform a Concentration, Focus, or Shoot action
fathom’s radius out from their base. Control areas affect (no movement when using a Shoot or Concentra-
the movements of other units in the following way: tion action); or
A unit entering the control area of an enemy unit pay 1 Command point to be able to either move
has only three choices. It can: around inside the control area it is in at the begin-
continue its movement so as to engage its enemy ning of its activation or leave the control area. This
directly (by the most direct route, even if this can only be done to leave a control area that the
means entering another unit’s control area); or unit is in at the beginning of its activation. It can-
approach its enemy as stated above, but stop mov- not pay to move through a control area during its
ing before making contact; or movement without stopping there. See page 24 for
stop moving immediately. a full description of Command points. Spending
Command points in this way is not an Order.
It cannot continue its movement and leave the con-
trol area or otherwise move around within the area Control areas have no effect on a unit that moves
unless it is to engage the enemy. If it decides to end its during a Mêlée action. On the other hand, a unit that
movement before making contact with the enemy, the moves to Retreat is affected by control areas (except
two units are not considered to be engaged. for the one it is Retreating from).
If a unit simultaneously enters the control areas

of several enemy units, it can:
stop its movement immediately; or
pick one of the enemy units and engage it by mov-
C ombat
ing to make contact by the most direct route (this
may take it out of the control area of one or more In this section, you will find a detailed description
of the other units); or of all the possible combat situations, both close and
simultaneously engage several enemy units. ranged, that can occur during the Action phases of a
Unless otherwise stated, an engaged unit is no lon- game. It is important to have a good grasp of all the
ger considered to have a control area. following concepts to be able to make the most of
playing Hell Dorado and to avoid being led astray by
your future opponents.
7 Examples of minis entering enemy control areas

A
Unit A decides to stop its movement.
Unit B decides to engage the enemy unit.
Unit C decides to engage enemy unit E.
Unit D decides to engage enemy units F and G.
B
E
G 14

GAME SYSTEM
A
C
B
If unit A wants to engage unit B, it
must spend 1 Command point. Engaging
combat with C will cost nothing.
8 a miniature inside a control area decides to act
A unit without a Combat stat cannot engage in

Close Combat combat, even if it receives CBT bonuses later on. Any
attack engaged against this kind of unit will remain a
one-sided attack.
An attack sequence in Hell Dorado represents a
flurry of blows between engaged units. This is one of RESOLVING AN ATTACK SEQUENCE
the reasons why the Hell Dorado units don’t have front The same procedure is used whenever a close com-
and rear arcs like minis do in most similar games. An bat attack sequence needs resolving. Later, we will see
engaged unit can fight all the units around it, for as the most common exceptions.
long as it can resist their number.
However, every time an attack sequence is resolved, A. BOTH PLAYERS WORK OUT HOW MANY
it can only involve two units at a time (an ally and an COMBAT DICE THEY NEED TO ROLL.
enemy), any other units in contact will only provide In close combat, both players roll a number of dice
support to the main fighters. equal to the Combat stat of the unit involved. This
A player cannot choose to attack one of the units in his number of dice can be modified by the actions of the
own Company, unless those units are considered to be units during the Action phase, by the state of the units
nt. enemy units (controlled by another player at that time). or by outside elements.
nit.
E.
G.
15

GAME SYSTEM
should be inflicted and/or any special effects that have

been triggered.
Friendly Fire A player can always choose to reduce the number
of hits inflicted by his own unit (this can, for example,
allow him to trigger specific effects that may be a lot
more helpful than the full number of hits)
In Hell Dorado, a player cannot attack one of his The defender’s Protection score is then subtracted
own allied troops, be it in close or ranged com- from the number of damage points. The final result
bat. Allied troops are all the units controlled at will be the number of Life Points the unit will lose.
any one time by the same player. Unless otherwise specified, damage is inflicted simul-
taneously to both units engaged in the attack sequence.
The same is true for any change of state.
If a unit ever has a number of dice greater than 5, it Even if a unit dies, all the damage it caused is applied
will only roll 5 and any extras will be counted as re- (and any special effects are triggered).
rolls (see below).
A unit cannot have more than 10 dice to roll (5 rolls xample: Arnold’s missionary can
and 5 possible re-rolls). If a unit gets over 10 dice, inflict 4 damage points with the
each die over 10 allows it to inflict one automatic Dam- 3 hits it rolled during the attack
age point per extra die to its opponent (Protection is roll. However, Arnold chooses to reduce
ignored and these points are inflicted even if the unit the number of hits inflicted to 2, so
doesn’t score a single hit with its attack roll). he can also inflict a Stunned effect (p.
33) and inflict no damage points.
xample: William has a Damned One of The missionary’s enemy, a Damned One
Wrath engaged in an attack sequence. of Wrath, manages 5 hits and inflicts
This unit has a CBT score of 4 and 10 damage points, which, despite the
has a total of 3 extra points added to its missionary’s Protection score kills him.
CBT as bonuses (order, spell...). William will The Damned One will still suffer from the
therefore have 5 dice to roll and 2 possible Stunned effect, as the effects of the attack
re-rolls. sequence are applied simultaneously.
B. BOTH PLAYERS ROLL THEIR COMBAT DICE D. THE GRIM REAPER COMES FOR THE FALLEN
Each of the dice that rolls a number equal to or The units whose Life Points reach or go below 0 are
greater than the unit’s Defense stat inflicts a hit. immediately removed from the battlefield.
Each of the dice that rolls a number lower than the All units who still have one or more Life Points left
unit’s Defense stat is a miss. A die that rolls a miss can stay on the battlefield. Depending on the result of the Un
be rolled again, once and only once, as a re-roll. This attack sequence, a unit can become free or remain
Un
means that if a player has 3 possible re-rolls and only engaged.
Un
2 misses, the third possible re-roll will not be usable,
no matter what the result of the re-rolls are. SPECIAL SITUATIONS
Once all re-rolls are done, the players count the CHARGE
number of hits. When a unit engages an attack sequence while
charging, it suffers a -1 CBT penalty. Any later attack
xample: the enemy unit William’s sequences are not affected.
Damned One is fighting has a Defense
score of 3. William rolls his Combat
dice and obtains 3, 4, 2, 6 and 4. He has
scored 4 hits. He re-rolls the 2 and gets a Attack sequence
result of 1. Even if he had 2 possible re-rolls,
he cannot re-roll the 1, as any die can only
be re-rolled once: in this case, he does not
benefit from his second re-roll. At the end of Once the attack sequence has begun, powers and
this sequence, William has scored 4 hits. passive or free abilities can no longer be used
until the sequence is over. The most obvious
C. BOTH PLAYERS APPLY THE RESULT OF THE example of this is the use of the order vae victis
ATTACK ROLLS SIMULTANEOUSLY (p. 27).
The players check the power table of the weapons
that were used to work out how many damage points
16

GAME SYSTEM
ATTACK AND MÊLÉE that affect normal attack sequences can affect one-
When a unit engages in an attack sequence during sided attacks.
an Attack or Mêlée action, no particular modifiers are
applied. ONE-SIDED ATTACK DURING FOCUS
When a unit suffers a one-sided attack because of a
ATTACKING FROM ABOVE Focus action, a normal attack sequence is performed,
Any unit standing on ground at least half a fathom but only the enemy unit gets an attack roll and the unit
higher than its opponent receives a +1 CBT bonus. On currently Focusing suffers a -1 DEF penalty. If several
the other hand, if the lower unit’s head is lower than enemy units are in contact with the Retreating unit,
the base of the higher unit, no contact – and therefore only one of them (chosen by their controlling player)
no close combat – can occur between the two. performs the attack, the others will only provide a sup-
port bonus. All abilities and modifiers that affect nor-
CONCENTRATION mal attack sequences can affect one-sided attacks.
When a unit performs a Concentration action while
engaged, it takes part in an attack sequence at the SUPPORT
beginning of its activation, but he does so affected by If a unit engages combat with an enemy unit that
a -1 CBT and DEF penalty. If several enemy units are is already in contact with an ally unit, the attacking
in contact with the unit, only one of them (chosen by unit receives a bonus for its attack roll. Each ally in
their controlling player) will perform an attack, the oth- contact with the enemy unit produces a +1 CBT bonus.
ers will only provide a support bonus. A unit can provide a support bonus multiple times in
one turn. A unit that cannot fight (no CBT stat, Immo-
ONE-SIDED ATTACK DURING RETREAT bilized, etc.) or that has been Knocked Down does not
When a unit suffers a one-sided attack because of provide any support.
a Retreat action, a normal attack sequence is per-
formed, but only the enemy unit gets an attack roll. WEAPON DAMAGE TYPES
If several enemy units are in contact with the Retreat- Most of the weapons carried by Hell Dorado units
ing unit, only one of them (chosen by their control- inflict a specific kind of damage, indicated on the stat
ling player) performs the attack, the others will only cards as keywords. However, some weapons can be
provide a support bonus. All abilities and modifiers listed as inflicting several types of damage. In this case,
the type of damage inflicted is always the one that will
9 multiple units and support
Unit A receives a support bonus of +1 CBT.

Unit B receives a support bonus of +2 CBT.
Unit C does not receive any support.
B
17

GAME SYSTEM
The
of fi
Specific modifiers ele
aP
tar
Charge -1 CBT for the attacking unit

Concentration -1 CBT and -1 DEF for the attacking unit
One-sided attack during Retreat One-sided attack
One-sided attack during Focus One-sided attack with -1 DEF for the attacking unit
Support +1 CBT for the allied unit (per supporting unit)
vae victis (p. 27) +1 or +2 CBT depending on Command points spent
be more favorable to the attacking unit (depending on

the defender’s different types of resistance). Note that Ranged combat
the kind of damage inflicted by a weapon does not
imply that any special rules should be applied unless
otherwise stated. For example, the keywords Blunt, As with close combat, ranged combat is resolved
Sharp or Piercing are not associated with any special during the Action phase. There is, however, one big
rules. They are only used as keywords when dealing difference between the two: during ranged combat, the
with some specific effects. targeted unit cannot respond to the attack.
MULTIPLE WEAPONS SHOTS

When a unit carries several weapons (with different During the Action phase, as with close combats,
power tables) that can be used during ranged or close ranged combats are resolved during the attacking
combat, its player must state which weapon is being unit’s activation. These ranged attacks are called shots.
used for the current attack sequence. If the player fails When a unit wishes to shoot, the ensuing actions are
to do so, the defender gets to choose which power always the same.
table is used to inflict damage. Obviously, only close
combat weapons can be used by an engaged unit and A. CHOOSING THE TARGET
only ranged weapons can be used by a free unit. In Hell Dorado, unless they have special abilities,
units wishing to perform a ranged attack must tar-
get the enemy unit that is nearest to them. There are,
however, three exceptions to this:
• The first important exception to this rule is that if
10 Units and damage types the nearest possible target is under cover (see below)
that gives it a Protection bonus at least equal to its nat-
ural Protection score, the shooter can choose the next
closest eligible target. If the next possible target has a
similar amount of cover to the previous one (cover that
provides Protection at least equal to the unit’s natural
Protection score), then the next closest target will be
examined and so on.
The second important exception to this rule is that
if the nearest enemy unit is engaged in close combat,
the shooter does not have to choose it as a target and
can choose the next closest eligible target.
The third exception is that an enemy unit that can-
not be a target (because of an ability or an aura, etc.)
never counts as the nearest enemy unit.
Allied units cannot become targets, unless they are
temporarily considered to be enemy troops.
This Damned One of Wrath can cause both B. COVER AND LINE OF FIRE
You can consider that there is a clear line of fire
Piercing and Sharp damage. Depending on the between a shooter and its target if an imaginary
type of resistance its opponent has, the type of straight line could be drawn between the center of
damage will be the one that is more favorable to
the attacker.
18

GAME SYSTEM
The shooter has a clear line The shooter (A) has no possible
of fire towards D but the line of fire towards B, as part
element it is behind gives it of the terrain is completely
a Protection bonus of 2 (the C blocking any line of sight
target has a Large base). between the two units.
B
D
A
E
The shooter has a clear line of

fire towards E and the scenery The shooter has a clear line The shooter has
is hiding less than 50% of of fire towards C but the a clear line of fire
the figure. The shot therefore element it is behind gives it a towards F and the
takes place as normal. Protection bonus of 3 (the unit scenery is over 1
has a Regular base) as less than fathom away from
50% of the figure is visible. the figure. The shot
therefore takes
place as normal.
11 line of fire and protection
the shooter’s base and any part of the target (base, If the target is partially covered by terrain elements
weapon, body of the figure...). (from the shooter’s point of view), it receives cover Pro-
Elements of terrain can naturally prevent a shooter tection if at least 50% of the figure is concealed by
from aiming at an enemy unit if there is no clear line of the obstacle and if it is a fathom (or less) away from
fire between the two, no matter how far the enemy unit the obstacle. To work out if at least 50% of the figure
is from the terrain element. On the other hand, in Hell is hidden from the shooter’s view, you can either lean
Dorado, lines of fire are never blocked by other units over and see for yourself “what the mini can see,” or
(enemies or allies). It is treated as though the warriors use a laser pointer.
are not standing still on the battlefield. As one moves If a target does have cover, then it receives a bonus
forward at a fast pace to intercept an enemy, another to its Protection score depending on its size (a large
one will have the time to exchange blows with several warrior would naturally find it harder to hide than a
enemies and a shooter can wait until its target is in smaller one would).
view as other units move out of the way.
19

GAME SYSTEM
automatic Damage point per extra die to its opponent

Cover (Protection is not taken into account and these points
are inflicted even if the unit doesn’t score a single hit
with its attack roll).
Cover bonus
Target’s base (added to target’s Each of the dice that rolls a number equal to or
size Protection score) greater than the shot’s difficulty inflicts a hit.
Regular 3 Each of the dice that rolls a number lower than the
Large 2 shot’s difficulty is a miss. A dice that rolls a miss can
Extra Large 1 be rolled again, once and only once, as a re-roll. This
means that if a player has 3 possible re-rolls and only
2 misses, the third possible re-roll will not be usable,
C. MEASURING DISTANCES no matter what the result of the re-rolls are.
The distance between the shooter and its target is Once all re-rolls are done, the players count the
always measured from the edge of one base to the number of hits.
other.
In Hell Dorado,, there is no limit to the range of most
throwing weapons or firearms. The weapons’ Range Shots
score is only an indication of how difficult the shot
roll will be depending on the distance from the tar-
get as explained in the following table:
The final difficulty of the shot roll is equal to the Once a shot has been fired, passive or free powers
distance difficulty or the target’s Defense score, which- and abilities can no longer be used. For that,
ever is higher. you must wait until the shot has been resolved.
The most obvious exception to this rule is the
D. RESOLVING THE RANGED ATTACK use of the vae victis order (p. 27).
The shooting unit rolls a number of combat dice equal
to its Shooting skill stat. This number of dice may be
modified by the unit’s state or other modifiers.
If a shooter ever has a number of dice greater than E. THE SHOOTER APPLIES THE RESULTS OF THE
5, it will only roll 5 and any extras will be counted as SHOT ROLL
re-rolls (see below). The player checks the power table of the weapon
A shooter cannot have more than 10 dice to roll that has just been used to work out how many damage
(5 rolls and 5 possible re-rolls). If a unit gets more points to inflict and/or what special effects may have
than 10 dice, each die over 10 allows it to inflict one been triggered.
12 Distance and difficulty
All the shooters in this example are using arquebuses

(range of 8). The Defense score of all targets is 4.
Shooter A’s target B is 19 fathoms away from him. The difficulty of the
shot roll will therefore be 5 (4 DEF score and a 5 distance difficulty).
Shooter C’s target D is 5 fathoms away from him. The difficulty
will therefore be 4 (4 DEF score and a 3 distance difficulty).
D
20

GAME SYSTEM
D E
B
11’’
10’’
8’’
A 9’’
Unit A wishes to shoot. Usually, it would have to pick the nearest enemy unit, but...
Unit B has a cover of 3, and its natural Protection score is 1.
Unit C is engaged in close combat.
Unit D also has some cover, although it is not better than the unit’s natural Protection score (cover of 1 and
Protection of 3)
Unit E is not under cover.
Unit A can therefore pick units B, C or D as its target for this shot.
13 aiming a shot at certain minis
A player always has the option of choosing to cause will be the number of Life Points that the enemy unit
fewer hits than the number rolled by one of the units will lose.
he controls (which may enable him to inflict specific
effects that may be more beneficial to him than the full F. THE GRIM REAPER COMES FOR THE FALLEN
number of hits would). The units whose Life Points reach or go below 0 are
immediately removed from the battlefield.
The defendant’s Protection stat is subtracted from All units who still have one or more Life Points left
the Damage points to be inflicted. The final number stay on the battlefield.
Range and difficulty of shots
Distance
Distance between shooter and target Range difficulty
No greater than the weapon’s Range Point blank 3
Greater than the weapon’s range Short 4
but no greater than Range x 2
Greater than Range x 2 Medium 5
but no greater than Range x 3
Greater than Range x 3 Long 6
21

GAME SYSTEM
SHOOTING DURING CLOSE COMBAT 2 hits, but as there are more odd results than
When a unit decides to perform a ranged attack on even ones, the shot will hit one of the other
an enemy unit engaged in close combat, the shot takes engaged units (meaning one of hers) picked
place as normal (measuring distance, consideration of randomly.
cover, etc.).
The difficulty of the shot roll is the highest of values If the shooter picks a target that is behind an ongoing
between the Defense stat of each unit engaged in the close combat, the same rule applies, but if the odd dice
close combat (and not just the target’s Defense) and win, the unfortunate victim is picked amongst all those
the distance difficulty. whose bases are at least partially on the imaginary line
While resolving the attack (once all re-rolls are done), between the center of the shooter’s base and that of
if the result is at least one hit, then the number of odd its target, and all the units in contact with them. Of
and even dice scores are compared (compare all the course, if the shooter and/or its target are on a higher
dice, those that provided hits and those that didn’t). level than the units between them, the line of fire is
If there are more odd scores than even ones (“even” not blocked and the shot can take place as normal.
though this may seem “odd”), the shot hits another
of the units engaged in the close combat, chosen ran- EXPLOSION
domly (give each of them a number and roll a die, or A shooter who carries a weapon that produces an
mix up their stat cards and pick one...). explosion aims it at a point on the battlefield. It can be
The Damage is then inflicted as normal, based on a place where an enemy unit is standing, or any other
the total number of hits (in this case it is impossible to spot on the ground. Important note: the unit does not
choose to reduce the number of hits). have to aim at the closest enemy unit.
The unit will require a free line of fire towards the
xample: Ileana is playing her Berber spot it wishes to aim at.
chasseur, who is firing at an enemy Unless otherwise stated, all explosions will affect a
Blade for hire that is engaged in close circular area with a 3 fathom radius, centered on the
combat with two of her units. These two targeted spot.
have Defense scores of 3 and 5, the target’s The shooter then performs a normal ranged attack
Defense stat is 4 and the shot is short range based on the distance difficulty (Defense stats are not
(distance difficulty of 4). This means that the taken into account here).
shot’s difficulty will be 5 (the highest of the
previous values). Ileana rolls 3 dice for her If the shot roll scores at least one hit, then the shot is
shooter. The results are 5, 6 and 3. She gets considered to have successfully hit the targeted spot.
22

GAME SYSTEM
If the shot roll does not score a single hit, then The vae victis order cannot be used during explosion
the shot is considered to have missed and infl icts no damage rolls (although it can perfectly be used during the
damage (as if the weapon had misfi red or the shot roll that determines if the shot hits its target or not).
had missed completely and hit some deserted bit of
terrain...). xample: One of Stephen’s sling-carriers
If the shot roll is successful, the explosion template is shoots with an “explosion (power
placed on the battlefield with its center on the targeted 3/1)” weapon on a battlefield that can
spot. All units that are hit (allies or enemies) by the allow him to include two enemy troops in
template have to roll for damage (even if only a tiny the effect area, but also one of his own units,
part of the miniature’s base is inside the effect area). unfortunately for him.
Ranged weapons with explosive ammunition have The targeted spot is in long range. Stephen
two stats: a Difficulty value and a Power value. They rolls 2 dice for his shot roll: he gets 2 and 6.
are always displayed in the following way: Explosion This single hit (the 6) means that the shot
(type of damage if necessary • power x/y). Here, x is has hit its target.
the Difficulty and y is the Power. In some cases, these For each of the three units inside the effect
two damage stats will be replaced by a specific state. area, Stephen then rolls 5d6 against a
In this case, any unit even partially inside the effect Difficulty of 3, as he would with a normal
area will automatically be affected by the aforemen- shot roll. Each hit will inflict 1 damage point.
tioned state. The Protection stat of each unit is then
For each unit inside the effect area of and explosion subtracted from the total number of Damage
the shooter rolls 5d6: each of the dice higher than or points it was hit with.
equal to the explosion’s Difficulty stat is a hit. Each hit
inflicts a number of damage points equal to the explo- BLAST EFFECT WEAPONS
sion’s Power stat. The damage points for all the hits are Before we begin, it is important to differentiate the
added up, the unit’s Protection score is subtracted to two kinds of blast effect weapons: cloud-type blasts
obtain the number of Life Points the unit will actually and ammunition blasts.
lose. It is not possible to choose to reduce the number Whatever the type of blast, the attack is resolved
of hits obtained. in the same way. The shooter places a blast template
There are no bonuses due to cover for units inside an (a triangle 6 fathoms long and 2 fathoms wide at the
explosion effect area. base) where he wants on the battlefield, the only con-
dition is that the tip of the cone must be in contact
14 Ammunition blast
Grenadier A, carrying a blunderbuss «Impact blast (piercing • power 4/2)» shoots at a group of 3 units. Its
Shooting skill score is 2. It therefore rolls 7 dice against unit B and scores 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5 and 6. This means that
it hits unit B 4 times, and therefore inflicts 8 Damage points (minus Protection). The shooter then rolls 3 dice
(the dice that missed during the previous roll) against Unit C. The shooter obtains 4, 6 and 6, for three hits,
which deal 6 Damage points (minus Protection and Cover). Unit D therefore suffers no damage, even though it
is inside the blast effect area, as there are no dice left to roll (all the dice in the previous roll produced hits).
C D
23

GAME SYSTEM
with the unit’s base. It doesn’t have to “aim” at any Impact blast weapons
specific enemy unit. With Impact blasts, the first unit we will take care
Each unit (ally or enemy) hit by the blast template of will be the one nearest the shooter, inside (at least
will have to roll for damage (even if only a tiny part of partially) the blast template.
the base is inside the effect area). Using a blast effect The shooter rolls a number of dice equal to its
weapon does not require a shot roll. Shooting skill stat + 5: each die that rolls equal to or
greater than the blast’s Difficulty stat is a hit, each hit
Blast effect weapons have four stats: type of dam- then inflicts a number of Damage points equal to the
age, type of blast (cloud-type or impact), Difficulty and blast’s power. The Damage points are added up and
Power. They are always displayed in the same way: the first targeted unit’s Protection score is subtracted
“[blast type] Blast (type of damage • power x/y)”. In to obtain the number of Life Points that it will lose
this example x is the Difficulty and y is the Power. In immediately.
some cases, these two stats will be replaced by a spe-
cific state. In this case, all units even partially inside The attack then continues to the next closest unit
the effect area will automatically be affected by the to the shooter. The shooter rolls the dice that did not
aforementioned state. produce hits during the roll for the previous unit. Each
The vae victis order cannot be used during a shot of the dice that rolls a score higher than or equal to
with a blast effect weapon. the blast’s Difficulty stat is a hit, each hit then inflicts
It is not possible to choose to reduce the number of a number of Damage points equal to the blast’s power.
hits for blast effects. The Damage points are added up and the next unit’s
Protection score is subtracted to obtain the number of
Cloud-type blast effect weapons Life Points that it will lose immediately.
For each unit inside the effect area of a cloud-type Continue until there are no more units left inside the
blast, the shooter rolls 5d6: each die which rolls equal blast effect area or until there are no dice left to roll.
to or greater than the blast’s Difficulty stat is a hit. Cover is applied normally to damage inflicted by an
Each hit inflicts a number of damage points equal to Impact blast.
the blast’s Power stat. The damage points for all the If two units (or more) are at an equal distance from
hits are added up, the unit’s Protection score is sub- the shooter, the one who is affected first is determined
tracted to obtain the number of Life Points the unit will randomly.
actually lose. There are no bonuses due to cover for Impact blast weapons are usually weapons that fire
units inside a cloud-type blast effect area. clusters of ammunition (Blunderbuss, cannon loaded
with lead shot...).
Full Cover
C ommand and Orders
During an explosion or an Impact blast (but not Command and Orders are important notions in Hell
during a Cloud-type blast), if a unit is totally Dorado. These are the factors that will most probably
under cover (none of the miniature is visible) make the biggest difference between two Companies.
from the point of origin of the attack (center of Managing Command points is particularly important
the explosion, tip of the blast cone), then it will in this respect.
not be hit by the attack.
Command
Cloud-type blast effect weapons usually fire things
like flames or burning gases. As you will probably have The notion of Command is essential to games of Hell
noticed, these effects are quite similar to the explo- Dorado. Each player has a certain number of Com-
sions mentioned above. mand (CMD) points that will be used to pay for the
orders that some units can use.
xample: a monstrous creature
projecting a cloud of acid across the You can use cardboard tokens, glass markers or
battlefield has an attack “Cloud-type coins to keep track of how many Command points
blast (acid • power 5/2)”. Any dice rolled by each player has left.
the creature that scores a 5 or higher will At the beginning of the game, all players work out
cause 2 Damage points. the number of Command points they will start with.
24

GAME SYSTEM
This is done by adding up the Command points of all Depending on unit losses and expenditure, it is pos-
the units in each Company. sible for players to reach a basic Command score of 0
The basic Command score is considered to be differ- during the game.
ent from the current Command score. The basic score
is the Command score of the Company: it is only mod- xample: Arnold is playing a Westerner
ified by permanent losses of Command points (caused Company and has 7 Command points
by the death of units, use of orders that cost perma- at the beginning of the game (4 points
nent Command points...). for the Frank-Captain +1 for the Swashbuckler
The current score is the number of Command points +1 for the Missionary +1 for the Sergeant).
that a player has left at any given time (once perma- During the first turn of the game, he decides
nent and temporary costs are accounted for). At the to use 3 temporary Command points to
beginning of each turn, during the Upkeep phase, the trigger certain orders: he has 4 Command
current Command score is reset to its basic value. points left for the rest of the turn, even
When a player spends temporary Command points, though the basic score remains at 7.
they are subtracted from the current score. During the Upkeep phase of the following
When a player spends permanent Command points, turn, Arnold’s Command points return to the
they are subtracted from the current score and the basic score of 7. During this phase, Arnold
basic score. uses 4 temporary points and 2 permanent
When a player loses a unit with a Command score, points to activate various orders: at this
the unit’s score is subtracted from the current and point, he only has a current Command score
from the basic Command score. If the player doesn’t of 1 and the basic score is lowered to 5 (7 – 2
have enough current Command points, he loses all permanent points). Before the turn is over,
remaining command points. He will still, however, lose Arnold loses his officer who had a Command
the unit’s full Command stat from the Company’s basic stat of 4. He immediately subtracts these 4
Command score. points from his basic Command score, which
It is, of course, impossible to use an order if the is reduced to 1 (5 – 4), and from his current
player doesn’t have enough current Command points score, which is reduced to 0 (1 – 4, with a
to pay for it. minimum of 0).
25

GAME SYSTEM
The area of effect is the range (in fathoms) that is the

Special Effects and Timing radius of the circular area where the aura will be
effective. This radius is always measured from the
edge of the base of the unit that uses it.
There are two types of aura, lingering and instant (p.

If a special ability or any other spell, order or aura 28), their precise nature is indicated in their full des-
contradicts one of the basic rules, then the special cription.
ability is the one to prevail.
Special effects in this game can be associated with Auras can be associated with a keyword. Depending
specific statistics when they are indicated on the on the effect’s nature, this keyword allows to tell the
stat cards. difference between vulnerable units (no keyword)
and immune units (keyword: immune).
- Duration: a permanent effect is always in effect, a
player cannot voluntarily choose to stop it. A tem- xample:
porary effect is only active until the end of the cur- Inspiration Aura
rent turn, unless stated otherwise (for example Temporary • Active • 4 fathom radius
«lasts until the end of the unit’s activation»). Players • Lingering • Muslims
cannot voluntarily choose to stop the effect before Muslim units gain +1 CBT.
its term. When a duration of x is indicated for a tem- This ability is an aura. It lasts until the
porary effect, the current turn is always considered end of the turn (temporary). To use it, a
to be the first turn of the x value. Thus, an effect with Concentration action is required (active
a duration of 1 will end at the end of the current turn, trigger). It affects all Muslim (keyword) units
an effect with a duration of 2 will last through the within a range of 4 fathoms from the unit’s
current turn and end at the end of the next turn, etc. base (effect area). Auras have another trait
(the type: lingering or instant): we will go
- Triggers: exhausting, active, passive or free (sorted into this in more detail on page 28. Using
by decreasing complexity). this aura doesn’t cost any Command points
• An exhausting effect requires the unit to perform a (no cost indicated).
Focus action (p. 12) to be triggered.
• An active effect requires the unit to perform a
Concentration action (p. 11) to be triggered. An order is described in the following way:
• A passive effect can be triggered at any time during Trigger • Cost (permanent or not) • Unique (or no-
the unit’s activation, no matter what action it choo- thing)
ses to perform. This does not trigger any reaction
from its enemies, whether the unit is free or enga- An order with the keyword Unique can only be used
ged (p. 10). This type of effect cannot be used during once per game .
a ranged attack or a close combat attack sequence, The cost indicates the number of Command points
but it can be used just before or just after the attack. that will be spent to trigger the order. In some cases
• A free effect can be triggered at any point during the the points will be permanently spent (p. 27).
Action phase (even during an opponent’s activa-
tion), whether the unit in question has already been xample:
activated or not. This kind of effect cannot be used The Lord guides my hand
during a ranged attack or a close combat attack se- Active • 2 permanent CMD • Unique
quence, but it can be used just before or just after The swashbuckler gains +1 MVT, +2 SHS, +2
the attack. CBT and +2 FTH until the end of the game.
This ability is an order. It has a permanent
If none of these four triggers are indicated for a per- effect (see description). To use it, a
manent effect, then the effect is always in effect. Concentration action is required (active
If none of these four triggers are mentioned for a tem- trigger). It only affects the swashbuckler.
porary effect, then it can be triggered as indicated in This order can only be used once during
its full description. the game («Unique» keyword) and it costs 2
permanent Command points.
An aura is described as follows:
Duration • Trigger • Area of Effect • Type (lingering or
instant) • Keyword (immune or nothing)
26

GAME SYSTEM
During the following Upkeep phase, Arnold

will only get a current Command score of 1 Orders Without Triggers
Command to spend on his orders.
If, for some reason, a unit enters the game after

the first turn, its Command value is added to the basic Using an Order without a trigger (exhausting, ac-
Command score of its Company during the Upkeep tive, passive, free) is not considered to be «gi-
phase of the turn following the turn when it entered ving an order» or «receiving an order.»
the game. This can happen because of a special rule
or other detail in a scenario. In the same way, if a unit
leaves the battlefield during a game, its Command stat xample: Samael and one of his
will be subtracted from the basic Command score of Succubi have been Stunned
the Company, exactly as if it had been eliminated. (incapable of giving or receiving
orders) by enemy units. If Samael dies,
he can still use his Ultimate Sacrifice
Orders order and the Succubus can benefit
from it.
Some units in Hell Dorado can use orders. These are

often effects that allow the unit to break some of the This order cannot be used during a shot with a blast
basic rules of the game, and they therefore have great effect weapon (or when rolling for damage after using
tactical potential. These orders are usually activated by an explosive weapon).
spending Command points. As this order has a free type trigger, it can be used
several times during any one Action phase (even when
In general, and unless specified otherwise, orders do an enemy unit is resolving an action).
not have a limited range and can therefore affect units
anywhere on the battlefield. Even if several units have the ability to use this order
Using an effect as it is described on a unit’s stat card within a Company, it is not possible to spend more than
is called “Giving an order”. 2 Command points and so obtain a CBT or SHS bonus
Being affected by an effect as it is described on an higher than 2 for any one shot or attack sequence.
ally’s stat card is called “Receiving an order”. A unit is
not “Receiving an order” if it is reacting to an effect • VAE SOLI
listed on an enemy’s stat card. Free • 1 CMD
As long as a Company has at least one unit with this
Orders follow the same rules as effects (see Special order (able to use it), the player who controls it can
effects and timing on page 26). spend 1 temporary Command point immediately after
activating one of their units to be able to activate a sec-
Orders with the keyword “Unique” can only be used ond unit immediately. This cannot be used to activate
once in each game. more than two units in a row, even if there are several
There are two special orders that all Officers – and units in the Company that can use this order.
only Officers – can use (see below): these are vae victis
and vae soli.
Frequent Use of vae
• VAE VICTIS
Free • 1 or 2 CMD victis and vae soli
As long as a Company has at least one unit with
this order (able to use it), the player who controls it
can give one of their units a +1 CBT or SHS bonus for After your first few games of Hell Dorado
Dorado, using
1 temporary Command point, or +2 CBT or SHS for 2 these two orders will have become a second
temporary Command points. nature to you and you will find it hard to do
This order should be used when the number of dice without them. However, don’t forget that your
is being calculated for the combat or shot roll. The Officer is the one who allows you to use them
bonus only lasts for the current attack sequence or and that if he dies, you will lose these two es-
shot (this Order is an exception to the rule that states sential abilities. Also, don’t forget that if an
that free triggered powers cannot be used during an Officer is Stunned or Knocked down (for exam-
attack sequence). ple) you temporarily lose the benefit of these
two abilities.
27

GAME SYSTEM
M agic live in Hell like rodents on Earth for use as vessels

for the magical powers that seep through the infernal
planes. These units are called Infernalists.
There are two ways of using magic in Hell Dorado: These people know what to feed the strange little
the first is by using magical auras with effects with creatures so they can obtain surprising – and some-
variable durations, the second is by capturing small times explosive – effects...
demonic creatures and feeding them magical ingredi- On the battlefield, Lemures are represented by
ents and using them as power containers. their own special miniatures. Like all the other units,
lemures have their own stat cards. However, they do
follow some special rules.
Auras
ENTERING THE BATTLEFIELD
When they are captured, lemures are tiny creatures,
Some units are able to use magical auras. These only an inch or two high, like a kind of demonic grub.
auras obey the rules of special effects (see Special Infernalists feed them up with various elements (gold
effects and timing on page 26). A unit with at least one coins, herbs, potions, rocks...) so as to be able to use
aura is called a Mentalist. them as they wish. As soon as the combined elements
Many auras are linked to the units’ religions: if so are sufficient to produce the desired effect, the lemure
they represent the powers of Faith. grows incredibly fast, growing from a grub of less than
There are two kinds of auras: lingering auras and 4 inches to a fully grown specimen of 1.5 to 3 feet tall
instant auras: in a few seconds.
• A lingering aura will only affect the units that are
inside its effect area and no longer affects the units Unless stated otherwise, an Infernalist can choose
once they leave the area. The effects of a lingering aura any lemure to cast a spell (as long, of course, as the
end if the unit that produced it dies (but not if its state corresponding miniature and its base are available and
changes), or at the end of a turn if the unit is still alive. painted). A lemure that has been destroyed (either
The effects of two identical auras cannot be applied because it was killed or because its power was trig-
jointly to any one unit. gered) is available again immediately.
• An instant aura only affects the units inside its Invoking a lemure is an exhausting power that
effect area at the time it is triggered. The effects of an requires a Focus action. Once this has been done, the
instant aura end at the end of the current turn, even if miniature of the chosen lemure should be placed on
the unit who triggered it is killed before that. the ground in contact with the Infernalist’s base, but
not in contact with an enemy unit.
A lemure cannot be activated during the turn during
which it was invoked.
Mi lemures es su lemures... Every time a lemure is invoked, its owner must clearly
warn its enemy which spell will be used with it (it can
only associate one spell with each lemure). The kind
of spell associated with each lemure can even be indi-
cated by some kind of special marker. There is no par-
The basic rule in Hell Dorado, is that all players ticular limitation to the kind of spell associated with
should bring their own miniatures for the le- lemures (unless otherwise stated). Any lemure can be
mures they are going to use during the game. associated with any spell known by the Infernalist. If
During friendly games, if both players agree, the unit in question can invoke several lemures, it can
the lemure miniatures can be put to one side associate the same spell with any number of them.
and shared between the players. This way, the
players can dip into the lemure pool every time ACTIVATING LEMURES
they require one of these strange little creatu- Unlike the other units, lemures are activated twice
res for one of their Infernalists. per Action phase.
If a player owns a lemure that has not been activated
at all and his opponent has no units left to activate, the
lemure can only be activated once. This rule prevents a
lemure from moving twice its Movement distance with-
Lemures out anyone being able to react to its movement.
It is therefore important to remember which lemures
Some of the units in Hell Dorado have learned how have already been activated. This can be done by plac-
to capture and train some of the small creatures that ing tokens beside the miniature or the stat card. The
28

GAME SYSTEM
Limited Number of Lemures

Each Infernalist has the ability to control a maximum
Madagascar ? number of lemures simultaneously on the battlefield.
What’s more, the ingredients that Infernalists carry
to feed the lemures will only allow them to invoke a
maximum number each per game of Hell Dorado.
No, Ileana. A lemure (rimes with secure) is not These two limits are indicated on the stat cards in
a lemur (rhymes with steamer). Lemures are the x/y format. These two numbers are the maximum
drooling demonic creatures that live in Hell. number of lemures that the unit can control simultane-
Lemurs are cute little furry wide-eyed monkey- ously (x) and the total number of lemures that the unit
like mammals that live on the island of Mada- can use throughout the game (y).
gascar. They do not explode. Got it? Finally, when Infernalists are killed or leave the bat-
tlefield, all the lemures that they invoked and that are
still in the game disappear immediately.
stat card can also be turned round 90 degrees after
the first activation and turned over after the second.
ACTIVATING LEMURES
Lemures can only perform one of their own specific Movement Special
actions during their activation. Although it resembles Abilities and Their
a Walk action, it is still a specific lemure action and Effect on Lemures
also allows them to trigger their magical power.
When performing an action a lemure can: A lemure with the Strider ability can enter and/or
move, at the most, the number of fathoms indicated end its activation in Difficult terrain (p. XXX).
in its Movement stat. It can engage an enemy unit, A lemure with Burrower, Intangible or Levitation
but this will not trigger a combat sequence. It can abilities will be able to pass over (or under) Dif-
also break contact with an enemy without trigger- ficult terrain, for example (p. XXX), but it will not
ing an attack sequence or a one-sided attack (but be able to end its turn there unless it also has the
it cannot engage and break contact with a unit Strider ability.
during the same activation). A lemure is not affected by the Attraction ability.
AND a lemure may also release the magical effect
that it was entrusted with, which usually destroys
the lemure instantly.
S tates
So, during its activation, the lemure can move over a
number of fathoms lower than or equal to its Movement
stat and may also choose to trigger its magical power.
A lemure never Runs: it always moves, at most, the
number of fathoms indicated in its Movement stat. A unit can be affected by a wide variety of states
Only lemures with the Strider ability can enter and during a game of Hell Dorado. In this part, you will find
end their turn in Difficult terrain. a detailed description of these states.
As long as a lemure has not been activated twice It is important to remember that when a unit is
during an Action phase, it will count toward the num- simultaneously affected by several different states,
ber of waiting units when working out inferiority in their effects are cumulative.
numbers (p. 11). A unit whose state prevents it from giving any orders also
prevents its controlling player from using its free orders.
SPECIAL ABILITIES OF LEMURES All the stats of units in Hell Dorado can potentially
Unless otherwise stated, lemures have the follow- be reduced to 0, except for the Defense score, which
ing special abilities: Harmless, Evasive, Insignificant, can be reduced to a minimum of 1 (this means an auto-
Rebellious and Invulnerable. matic hit for all attack rolls targeting this unit).
Lemure Effects Whatever the penalties that are applied to a unit, a

All the effects that can be channeled into lemures stat score cannot be reduced below 0. If, following this,
are linked to the Infernalist and are therefore indi- bonuses are applied to this stat, they will be added to
cated on the invoker’s stat card (or on an extra card if 0, and not to a negative score. In practice, this means
necessary). that when penalties and bonuses are applied at the
29

GAME SYSTEM
of -3CBT is therefore applied to the unit

and its CBT score is reduced to 0. This
unit then takes part in an attack sequence
during which two allies provide support.
It will therefore have 2 dice for this
attack sequence (CBT 0 + 2 support).
States can be permanent or temporary. When a
value of x is indicated next to the state, it represents
the number of turns during which the state will affect
the unit (see Special effects and timing on page 26).
ACCELERATED X
+2 Movement • Activation by reaction
The unit can act faster than usual. This acceleration
will also give the unit a better understanding of com-
bat sequences.
An accelerated unit can be activated immediately
after the activation of another unit from the same
Company. However, it is not possible to activate more
than 2 units from the same Company in a row (even
by using the order vae soli).
BERSERK X
Immediately cancels the effects of Wounded and
Immobilized states • No orders • Immediately after hav-
ing killed an enemy unit, roll 1d6: on a score of 1 to 3
the Berserk unit stops all actions; on a roll of 4 to 6, it
must immediately move 2 fathoms towards the nearest
unit (ally or enemy). If it manages to engage the near-
est unit, an attack sequence takes place immediately. If
several units are at equal distance from the Berserk unit,
choose the target randomly.
The warrior becomes a madman, thirsty for blood
and violence. He no longer feels the effects of fatigue
and wounds, but if he has become a lethal danger
same time, the penalties are applied first, followed by for his enemies, he is also now a considerable risk
the bonuses. for his allies.
When a Berserk unit hits one of his comrades, his
xample: One of Benny’s unit’s player’s opponent is the one to decide whether or not
CBT score is currently 2. This to reduce the number of hits (but the unit’s controller
unit is then affected by the states is the one to roll the dice).
Wounded and Knocked down. A penalty A Berserk unit never benefits from support when it
attacks one of its allies.
The unit cannot give or receive orders.
Stacking State Changes
BRAVE X
+1 Movement • +1 Shooting skills • +1 Combat • +1
Faith
This state indicates a certain level of euphoria on
State changes that affect a unit can only be cumula-
behalf of the affected unit: it will be more efficient in
tive when they are different.
combat and its mental state will also be affected.
When a unit is affected multiple times by the same
state-changing effect, the greater value of the two
effects is the one that remains.
CONSUMED (TYPE OF EFFECT • DURABLE OR NOT
SPECIFIED • X/Y)
Ex: a Stunned 1 unit, suffering from another Stunned
The affected unit loses x life points for the next y
1 state in the same turn will still only be Stunned 1.
Upkeep phases • With a Focus action, the unit can stop
all non-durable Consumed effects.
30

GAME SYSTEM
A simple... well, less com- for each of the next y Upkeep phases. By default, it is
plicated, way of dealing possible to remove this effect before its term. To do so,
with the Consumed state. the unit must perform a Focus action. All Consumed
states it is currently suffering from are immediately
removed (even if they are of different types). However,
if the effect has the keyword “durable”, then it must
continue until its natural end.
Every time a unit gets hit by a Consumed state, sim- Different types of Consumed effects can be inflicted
ply place (y) markers on its unit card and, during concurrently.
each Upkeep phase, remove a marker and apply When a unit is affected by two Consumed effects of
the (x) Damage points. How’s that for easy? the same type, values x and y are modified to take on
the highest available value for each.
This state is applied to a unit that has suffered damage xample: a Swashbuckler is hit by a 1/5
from fire, acid or any other type of long-term damage. fire-type Consumed effect (1 damage
When the effect is triggered (usually due to a hit, a point for 5 Upkeep phases). He has
shot, or on entering a specific area), the unit is imme- already suffered damage points during an
diately affected (unless it is immune to this type of Upkeep phase, so we consider him to be
effect). From that time forward, it will suffer x damage Consumed 1/4 (1 Damage Point for the next
points (its Protection score does not apply in this case) 4 Upkeep phases). He then gets hit by a new
Complicated stuff: Consumed the usual rule (apply highest x and y values). But if
state and effect areas some twisted little unit who already has a Consu-
med effect decides not only to stray into the Consu-
State Name and

med area but also to stay there (OK, so he’s suicidal,
When a Consumed effect is inflicted on units inside an

Value (or none)
or he wants me to kill myself for having to think up
these twisted rules), what happens? Easy (well, kind
effect area, things get complicated. To begin with, of): you put aside the remaining y value of the ori-
the y time value is no longer applied to the Consu- ginal Consumed he had when he walked in (so no
med effect for as long as the unit remains in the more counting down those Consumed phases). Ins-
area. The x Damage points will simply be applied When
tead, thebe
he will name of athe
hit by state is followed
higher by an
of the two x value,
Damage
during each Upkeep phase. As long as the unit is in- scoresthis value usually
(between represents
the original the numberand
Consumed of turns
the
side the effect area, it cannot try to stop the effects during which the state will be applied
area’s Consumed) during each Upkeep phase until to a unit
of the Consumed effect. If it moves out of the area, (exceptions to this are specifi ed in the
he leaves the area. As soon as he leaves, the usualstate’s des-
or if the area disappears, the usual Consumed rules cription).
rule applies: To keep
highest ofthings
both xsimple, if the name of the
and y values.
are applied immediately, as stated above. state is not followed by a value, it is assumed to
last for one turn.
xample: A Damned One is in an area xample: so let’s suppose that a friend (a

with a «Consumed 2/5» effect. During future ex-friend, if he keeps making me
each Upkeep phase, 2 Damage points work out all these crazy situations for
will be applied. If he leaves the area, he will the rulebook) sends a unit with a Consumed
immediately be hit by a Consumed 2/5 effect. 2/3 effect into a Consumed 1/5 effect area of
the same type. During the next Upkeep phase
Simple, isn’t it? Well, actually it isn’t: there are still a
it will suffer 2 Damage points (greater value
few extra bits to clarify. The first one is the rule to
of x). However, none of the 3 remaining time
apply if a unit enters such an area and leaves it in the
markers will be removed. During the unit’s
same move. In this case, the unit is immediately af-
next activation it leaves the area. Its Consumed
fected by the Consumed that was affecting the zone.
state then changes to Consumed 2/5 (using
The second (and I can already hear you wondering
the greater values of x and y). Therefore, the
«how’s he going to wriggle out of this one?»), is all
unit will suffer 2 damage points during the
about what happens when a unit with an existing
next 5 Upkeep phases (it gets an extra 2 time
Consumed effect enters a Consumed area of the
markers). And for all I care it can crawl away
same type. Well, let’s be honest, this case should be
and die, and give me a break!
avoided as much as possible anyway. If you’re «just
passing through» the area, it’s easy: you just apply
31

GAME SYSTEM
Consumed effect, but this time it’s a 2/3 (2 DEVOURED

Damage points for 3 Upkeep phases). His fire This only affects units with a base of smaller or equal
Consumed status is updated immediately. size to that of the attacker • Removed from the battlefield
The new values are 2/4. He will therefore • No actions • No orders • No attack (close or ranged)
suffer 2 Damage points for the next 4 When threatened by this state, a unit with less than
Upkeep phases. 10 Life Points (as a basic score) is always Devoured.
A unit with a basic score of more than 10 Life Points
CONTROLLED X must roll a score equal to or less than its current
A unit to whom this state is applied becomes con- Defense stat on 1d6 to avoid being Devoured. For as
trolled by its player’s opponent for the next x activations long as the unit remains Devoured and alive, it will
• No orders • Limited actions suffer 3 Damage points during each Upkeep phase
When this state is applied to a unit, it becomes con- (Devouring ignores Protection). If the unit that has
trolled by a different player from the one who controls Devoured a victim is killed, the Devoured unit reap-
its original Company. It is considered to become an pears and is considered to have already been acti-
enemy unit if the player who gains its control is an vated. A unit cannot Devour more than one enemy
opponent of its original player. unit at a time. It must wait to have killed its victim
The player who gains control of the unit will play it before Devouring another. While a unit is Devoured
for the next x activations (using it as if it was his own it is considered to be dead (it cannot give or receive
unit during the Action phase). As long as the unit has orders, any Command points are deducted from its
not been activated, it is considered to be a waiting unit Company’s basic score, etc.). If it is freed, it re-enters
in its new owner’s Company when applying the rule of the game as usual (any lost CMD points are returned
inferiority in numbers (p. 11). during the next Upkeep phase).
A Controlled unit can only perform one of the fol-
lowing actions: Walk, Run, Attack, Charge, Mêlée, IMMOBILIZED X
Shoot or Retreat. -3 Defense • No actions • No orders • No attacks (close
A Controlled unit cannot give or receive orders, use or ranged) • No control area
its auras or invoke any lemures. An Immobilized unit cannot do anything during its
A Controlled unit can move rapidly over Difficult ter- activation. It can therefore not respond to an attack
rain and leave an enemy’s control area for the price in close combat (all attack sequences against it are
of 1 Command point that will be paid by the player one-sided) and it will be an easy target for ranged
controlling it at that time. attackers. It is incapable of performing actions and
A Controlled unit is not considered to be a member giving or receiving orders. An Immobilized unit has
of its new owner’s Company, but for as long as it is no control area. An Immobilized unit must be acti-
Controlled it is no longer considered to be part of its vated x times before this state disappears. Each time
original Company either. However, if it dies while being an Immobilized unit is activated, one enemy (chosen
Controlled it is its original owner that loses any Com- by the player controlling them) in contact with it gets
mand points associated with its Company. to perform a one-sided attack against it.
Non-reciprocal contact
In some situations, it is possible that the units of Hell Dorado may become engaged in non-reciprocal contact. This
means that two or more units are in contact (as generally admitted) but that some suffer from this non-reciprocal
contact and others benefit from it.
If a unit is suffering from a non-reciprocal contact, it is then affected in the following ways:
- it is considered to be engaged by its enemies;
- it is not considered to be in contact with its enemies;
- it is not considered to be in contact with its allies (it can therefore not help them with any special abilities that
require contact).
If a unit is benefiting from a non-reciprocal contact, it is then affected in the following way:
- if it is an ally of the unit suffering from the non reciprocal contact, it is considered to be in contact with it;
- if it is an enemy of the unit suffering from the non reciprocal contact, it is considered to be free, however it re-
mains able to perform actions that require it to be engaged with the unit.
32

GAME SYSTEM
If an Immobilized unit is in contact with other units, STUNNED X

they are considered to be benefiting from a non-recip- -1 Combat • -1 Defense • No shooting • No orders •
rocal contact with it and the Immobilized unit is con- No control area
sidered to suffer from non-reciprocal contact (see high- The unit is Stunned and has problems focusing on
light box). its surroundings. It is therefore an easy target on the
battlefield. It cannot give or receive any orders. It can-
KNOCKED DOWN not perform a ranged attack. A Stunned unit has no
-2 Combat • -2 Defense • No orders • No actions other control area.
than getting up • No control area • Gets up during its A Stunned unit must be activated x times before this
next activation state disappears.
The unit is lying on the ground. To represent this The state disappears at the end of the activation.
state, just leave a token next to the miniature or on its
stat card. During the activation that follows its being WOUNDED
Knocked Down, the unit must get up. It cannot per- -1 Movement • -1 Shooting skill • -1 Combat • -1
form any other action, nor can it give or receive any Defense • -1 Faith
orders. When a unit’s Life Points are reduced equal to or
If the unit becomes engaged in close combat while it below its Wound Threshold, it is considered to be
is Knocked Down, it jumps to its feet immediately, but Wounded. It will therefore be less agile in combat,
performs the attack sequence with a Knocked Down because of the pain of the wounds and fear of impend-
penalty (-2 CBT and -2 DEF). If it survives this attack, ing death. Some effects triggered by terrain and some
it is no longer considered to be Knocked Down (unless special abilities can apply a Wounded state without the
it is affected again by this state). unit’s Life Points being reduced equal to or below the
If the unit gets up while it is in contact with an Wound Threshold.
enemy unit, an attack sequence is immediately per- It is interesting to note that some units have special
formed with the Knocked Down penalty. If it survives abilities that change their stats in a specific way once
the attack sequence, it returns to a standing state. they are in a Wounded state.
A Knocked Down unit has no control area. If a Knocked On the stat cards, the Wounded state on a unit’s Life
Down unit is in contact with other units, they are consid- Point bar is indicated in green.
ered to be benefiting from a non-reciprocal contact with A unit with no Wounded state on its stat card cannot
it and the Immobilized unit is considered to suffer from be affected by this state.
non-reciprocal contact (see highlight box p. 32). If the state was caused by a loss of Life Points,
this state is permanent unless a Healing effect brings
SLOWED X the Life Point level up above the Wound Threshold
-2 Movement • Last to be activated again.
For many possible reasons, the unit finds itself inca-
pable of acting normally. It moves at a slower pace.
A Slowed unit will always be the last unit in its Com-
pany to be activated. If several units in the same Com-
pany are Slowed, then once all the other units have
S pecial Abilities
been activated, the player can then choose the order
in which the slowed units are activated. In this chapter, you will find the list of all the special
Even the use of vae soli cannot cause the affected abilities that set the characters of Hell Dorado apart
units to be activated earlier in the Action phase. from one another. It is important to note that a special
A Slowed unit must be activated x times before this ability is not necessarily a good thing for the one who
state disappears. possesses it, although it usually is. Unless otherwise
Summary Table of Main Effects
Immobilized -3 Defense • No actions • No orders •

No attacks (close or ranged) • No control area
Knocked down -2 Combat • -2 Defense • No orders • No actions other than getting up •
No control area • Gets up during its next activation
Stunned -1 Combat • -1 Defense • No shooting • No orders • No control area
33

GAME SYSTEM
performed by this unit if the Ammunition carrier is not

Special Ability With or in contact with the shooter.
Without a Value of x
ATTACK OF OPPORTUNITY X
A unit with this ability automatically inflicts x Dam-
age points (ignoring Protection) to all enemy units that
When the name of an ability is followed by an x enter or appear inside its control area. This ability has
value, this value represents a parameter of the no effect when this unit moves towards an enemy unit
ability that will be explained in the full des- and therefore causing it enter this unit’s control area.
cription. To keep things simple, if the name of A unit with this ability cannot use it against a unit
the state is not followed by a value, it is consi- that appears in contact with it (therefore removing its
dered to have a value of 1. control area) unless it has some way of retaining its
control area while engaged.
mentioned, all special abilities are active all the time ATTRACTION X
and they cannot be deactivated. This ability is only active while the unit who pos-
Amongst the special abilities, it is important to real- sesses it is free and it only affects free enemy units.
ize that there are two kinds of ability: those that are Lemures are not affected by this ability.
linked to the unit itself, and those that are the abilities When they begin their activation, all enemy units
of specific weapons the unit can carry, which are called within x fathoms of the unit who possesses this ability
“Weapon abilities” and will be specified as such in the must move into contact with it by the most direct route.
ability’s full description. The most direct route for one unit to move into
contact with another is usually a straight line drawn
A MBUSH between the centers of both bases, and it is only pos-
At the beginning of a game, the unit can be placed sible to stray from this line to avoid allied units and
completely inside an Awkward or Opaque part of the parts of terrain, while staying as close to them as
scenery, anywhere on the battlefield, as long as it is possible. If an enemy unit is on the other side of an
outside of any enemy control areas. If the player who impassable piece of terrain and it cannot make the
owns the unit does not wish to place it in such a place, whole move around it to come into contact with the
or if no such place exists on the battlefield, then the attracting unit in one Action phase, then it is protected
unit is placed in its normal deployment area. In both by this and will not be affected by the ability.
cases, it should be placed at the same time as the units If, along the most direct route, the affected unit must
with the Advance Deployment ability. engage contact with an enemy unit, it immediately
stops its move and engages combat.
A MMUNITION CARRIER For as long as it is affected by this ability, a unit is
This unit carries or makes the ammunition that is considered to have the Elusive and Strider abilities.
used by a specific piece of artillery (see Weapon ability A unit that begins its activation in the range of sev-
Artillery). Each carrier is linked to a specific piece of eral Attraction abilities can choose which Attracting
Artillery and cannot be used by another, even if the unit it will move toward.
original one is destroyed.
BERSERKER
ARCH-ENEMY (KEYWORD) X This unit becomes Berserk when it enters a Wounded
When a unit with this ability is fighting a specific state. If it is healed later on and loses its Wounded
enemy (defined by the keyword), the unit gains a bonus state, it also loses its Berserk state.
of +x CBT and its enemy gets a bonus of half of X to
its (rounded up) CBT.
xample: if the value of x is 1 then both Black and Red

units receive a +1 CBT bonus.
ARTILLERY So it is easier for you to remember during the

Weapon ability game, all the special abilities that are printed
All the units that carry a weapon with this ability are in red on the stat cards affect the unit in a nega-
accompanied by another unit with the special ability tive (or partially negative) way.
Ammunition Carrier. No Shooting or Reloading can be
34

GAME SYSTEM
BODYGUARD COUNTER-ATTACK
A unit with this ability adds 1 to the Protection of During attack sequences engaged against a unit with
allies it is in contact with. This ability cannot raise this ability, any of the dice its opponent rolls that score
the Protection score of the allied units above 3 (if the a 1 (after all available re-rolls) cause the enemy unit
ally’s Defense is already greater than or equal to 3, it to suffer 1 Damage point. This damage is added to
keeps its regular Defense). This bonus is applied after all damage inflicted during the attack sequence by the
all other bonuses: it is applied after any cover bonuses unit with this ability. If the unit’s DEF score is reduced
(or Resistance). to 1 then it can no longer use this ability.
BURROWER CUMBERSOME X
This unit’s movement is not hindered by terrain Weapon ability
or by other units. However, the unit cannot end its During the second attack sequence against the same
activation in the same place as a unit or in Impass- enemy unit and after, the unit carrying a weapon with
able terrain. this ability suffers a penalty of -x CBT. This is only
The unit is not affected by control areas during its applied if contact between the two units was not bro-
movement, but it is at the beginning and the end of ken in between the attack sequences.
them (for example, it must pay 1 CMD to leave the
control area of an enemy unit if it starts its activa- DEFENSIVE COMBAT X
tion there). However, this ability cancels an Attack of During each attack sequence, the unit can choose to
Opportunity if the unit ends it activation in contact reduce its CBT score by x and reduce its opponent’s
with an enemy unit with that ability. CBT score by the same amount. Both units will still be
A lemure with this ability will be able to Burrow able to roll at least 1 die if their Combat score was of
under Difficult parts of scenery, amongst others, but at least 1 before using this ability. This ability is used
it can only end its activation there if it also has the after applying all other modifiers (including any uses
Strider ability. of vae victis)
CAMOUFLAGE X DEFENSIVE SHOT

The unit receives a Protection bonus of +x when it is If contact is made with this unit while it is waiting,
under cover. free and has a ranged attack available (weapon loaded
and in good condition), it can take a point-blank shot
CHAOTIC CHARGE at its enemy before the close combat attack sequence
The unit triples its Movement score during a Charge begins.
action.
DEMORALIZE
CHARISMA X When a unit with this ability kills an enemy unit that
All allied units within a range of 4 fathoms around has at least one Command point, the loss of temporary
the unit will receive a +x CBT bonus. A unit can only and permanent CMD is doubled.
benefit from one Charisma bonus per attack sequence
(the one that offers the highest bonus). DISCRETION X
This ability is canceled if the unit is engaged.
COMBAT SENSE The unit cannot be the direct target of a Shoot or
The unit receives a bonus of +1 DEF (with a maximum a Charge action unless the attacking unit is within a
DEF of 5) during an attack sequence. range of x fathoms.
Players also may not use an explosion or blast tem-
COMBINED ATTACK X plate if all the targets inside it are enemy units whose
When the unit has at least one support bonus, it Discretion abilities all affect the shooter.
gains an extra bonus of +x CBT.
DODGE X
CONCENTRATED As soon as this unit is engaged by contact, it can try
A unit with this ability will not trigger a one-sided to Dodge. Roll 1d6. On a result of x or less, the unit
attack when it performs a Focus action while in con- is automatically moved a distance of up to 3 fathoms.
tact with an enemy unit. A regular attack sequence Of course, the enemy’s movement is stopped when it
is triggered, instead. When the unit is performing a makes contact. It is only possible to attempt one Dodge
Concentration action while in contact with an enemy per Action phase. It is not possible to come into con-
unit, the attack sequence will take place without the tact with an enemy unit or enter an enemy control area
usual Concentration modifiers being applied. during the 3 fathom Dodge movement (it is, of course,
possible to leave the control area of the unit being
35

GAME SYSTEM
dodged). If the Dodge movement cannot be performed, than its normal Movement stat (example: a unit with a
the Dodge does not take place. A unit that is Knocked MVT score of 4 and a Fast 3 ability can move up to 11
Down or already engaged cannot use this ability. fathoms during a Run action).
EAGER X FIERCE X
Weapon ability The unit gains a +x CBT bonus if its opponent has at
This unit receives a +x CBT bonus during the first least one support bonus.
attack sequence with a unit, whether an enemy unit
comes into contact with this unit or it moves into con- FIRST CONTACT X
tact with an enemy unit. When first calculating Dominance before the first
turn of the game of Hell Dorado, units with this ability
ELUSIVE provide an extra x to their Company’s total.
A unit with this ability is not affected by enemy con-
trol areas. It can therefore pass through them without FRANTIC
triggering any particular effects. This ability cancels When the unit performs a Mêlée, Charge or Attack
the Attack of Opportunity ability action, two attack sequences are resolved, one imme-
diately after the other.
EMANCIPATED
A lemure with this ability begins the game on the FURY
battlefield like any other unit and cannot be invoked. When this unit with this ability performs a Charge
It cannot be entrusted with a spell. action, it does not suffer the Charge penalty that should
affect the attack roll (which should be -1 CBT).
ENTANGLE
If a unit with this ability is engaged with another unit HARMLESS
whose base is equal or smaller, then the other unit The unit has no control area.
cannot Retreat.
HEALER X
ERRATIC MOVEMENT X This ability is an exhausting power. A unit with this
The unit receives a +x DEF bonus (with a maximum DEF ability must therefore perform a Focus action during its
of 5) when it becomes the target of a ranged attack. activation to be able to use it.
The unit can return x Life Points to itself or any allied
EVASIVE unit it is in contact with. This ability cannot be used to
This ability can only be used if the unit and at least heal an Invulnerable unit.
one of its allies are engaged with the same enemy unit.
During its activation, the enemy unit cannot choose the HEAVY
Evasive unit as a target. If all the units in contact with an Weapon ability
opponent unit possess this ability, the player who controls A unit carrying a weapon with this ability cannot
them decides which of them will fight the enemy unit. move during a ranged attack action.
EXPERTISE HUGE
To use an exhausting power, a unit with this abil- When this unit performs a Retreat action, after the
ity must perform a Concentration action (instead of a one-sided attack it can then move as if it was perform-
Focus action). Any effect that usually requires a Focus ing a Run, Attack or Charge action. This movement
action may be used by this unit by performing a Con- replaces the movement of Retreat.
centration action instead.
IMMUNITY (KEYWORD)
FANATIC This unit is naturally immune to a certain type of
As soon as this unit enters the Wounded state, the damage or attacks (Life drain, fire, poison, blunt weap-
unit is not affected by the usual modifiers but by the ons, ranged weapons, etc.). It will therefore not suffer
following ones: -1 MVT, -1 SHS, +1 CBT, +1 DEF (5 maxi- any damage coming from such a source.
mum), +1 FTH. However, if specific states are associated with the
On the stat cards, a unit’s “Fanatic” scores are indi- effect, the unit will still be affected by them. It may
cated in green. therefore be Knocked down, Stunned... A unit that is
Immune to fire can still be affected by a Consumed
FAST X state, it will just not suffer the damage from it.
When it performs a Charge or Run action, a unit with
this ability will be able to move up to x fathoms more
36

GAME SYSTEM
IMPRESSIVE LEVITATION
This unit can be targeted by a shooter even if it is not The unit’s movement is not hindered by Difficult ter-
the closest unit. If a shooter has a clear line of fire for rain but remains affected as usual by all the other ter-
several units with this ability, it can choose which one rain abilities (Impassable, etc.). It can move over units
to target (but it doesn’t have to choose any of them). that are less than 3 fathoms tall, but it is affected nor-
mally by control areas. The unit cannot, however, end
INSIGNIFICANT its activation on another miniature.
This unit is not included when calculating Domina- A lemure with this ability will be able to Levitate
tion (neither for calculating the basic score, nor when it over Difficult parts of scenery, but it can only end its
comes to working out who has lost the fewest units) activation there if it also has the Strider ability.
INTANGIBLE LIFE DRAIN X

This unit’s movements are not hindered by terrain Weapon ability
or by other units. The unit cannot, however, end its The unit wielding a weapon with this ability inflicts x
movement in Impassable terrain. Damage points to its enemies, ignoring their Protection
The unit is not affected by control areas while mov- stat or any Immunity (other than an Immunity to Life
ing, but it is at the end of its movement. It does not drain). The acting unit will gain as many Life Points as
trigger a one-sided attack on breaking contact and the number of Damage points it actually inflicted. An
does not pay CMD if it begins its movement in an affected unit can regain the Life Points it lost during
enemy’s control area. the attack sequence during which this ability was trig-
A lemure with this ability will be able to pass through gered, unless it dies first.
Difficult parts of scenery, amongst others, but it can
only end its activation there if it also has the Strider LIMITED R ANGE X
ability. Weapon ability
Unlike other ranged weapons, the unit cannot pick a
INTERCEPT X target at a distance greater than x times the weapon’s
This unit has a control area of x fathoms out from its basic Range stat.
base against lemures.
It cancels the effect of the Elusive, Burrower and LUNGE X
Intangible abilities for enemy units inside its con- Weapon ability
trol area (the normal one and the extended one for This unit’s control area extends x fathoms from its
lemures). If it also has the Attack of Opportunity abil- base.
ity, it can use it inside its control area, even against an
Elusive enemy. A lemure engaged with a unit who has M AN-AT-ARMS X
this ability that chooses to break contact with it will A unit with this special ability can, once an enemy
suffer a one-sided attack during Retreat. unit in contact has finished all possible re-rolls, force it
to re-roll up to x dice that had scored hits. Important:
INVULNERABLE this ability can force a player to re-roll dice that may
This unit only suffers 1 Damage point per hit, regard- have already been re-rolled.
less of what the power table of the weapon says, pro-
vided the damage indicated is higher than 0. It is not M AVERICK
affected by state changes (Wounded, Knocked down, This unit can never receive an order from anyone
Consumed, etc.), whether they are negative or positive but itself (including vae victis and vae soli if it does not
(except for those indicated on its stat card and/or by have these orders).
its special abilities).
It only suffers damage from other effects (explosions, MOVING SHOT
blasts, etc.) if they score a 6 on each die instead of the The unit can take part of its movement, shoot, and
regular difficulty of the blast or explosion. The damage then finish its movement.
is reduced to 1 point per hit, no matter what the usual
power of the blast or explosion is. MUNITIONS X
An Invulnerable unit’s Defense score is always 6 Weapon ability
and can never be modified (unless this is specifically A unit can only use this weapon x times during a
mentioned). game. It is important to keep a visible reminder of how
many shots are still available (for example, you can use
LEADER tokens or mark the use of the weapon directly on the
This unit’s Command score counts double when calcu- specified place on the unit’s stat card).
lating the number of troopers that a Company can hire.
37

GAME SYSTEM
NATURAL TALENT X REGENERATION X

The unit always has at least x possible re-rolls during During each Upkeep phase, this unit regains x Life
an attack, no matter what its CBT or SHS stats are. Don’t Points.
forget that no die can be re-rolled more than once.
RELOADING X
PAIN X Weapon ability
Weapon ability To be able to shoot again with a weapon that has
While this effect is applied to an enemy unit, it will this ability, the unit will have to perform x Focus
immediately be affected by the negative effects of a actions in a row.
Wounded state (even though its Life Points are not
modified by this) for a duration of x turns. Nothing To simplify things, it is a good idea to keep track of this
happens if the unit is already Wounded. A Fanatic or by marking the number of Focus actions remaining on
Berserker unit will be affected as usual (for these units the unit’s stat card (using tokens or by marking the Focus
the effects will even be quite positive). A unit who actions directly in the specified place on the stat card).
does not have a Wounded state will not be affected All weapons that use this ability are loaded when the
by this ability. game begins.
PRESTIGE (FACTION) If the unit is engaged while reloading, it has two

The officer can hire units of the specified Faction for options: either it fights as usual and has to start
its own Company. the reloading from scratch once the combat is over,
or it retains its previous Focus actions and con-
PIERCING STRIKE X tinues to Reload, but suffers a one-sided attack
Weapon ability during Focus.
The unit reduces its opponent’s Protection score by x
before inflicting any damage. It is impossible to reduce RESISTANCE (KEYWORD) X
a Protection score below 0. This unit has natural protection against the special
During a ranged attack, this ability can also affect the effect or the type of damage that is mentioned in the
Protection bonus provided by cover. This Protection ability’s title (state, flames, poison...). It will therefore
reduction only lasts for the duration of the attack. have a Protection bonus of +x against the damage
inflicted by an effect or a weapon of this kind.
PROTECTIVE
The unit does not lose its control area when engaged RICOCHET X
by one or more enemies. Whenever a unit with this ability suffers damage, it
automatically inflicts x damage points (ignoring Pro-
R APID STRIKE (ATTACK OR DEFENSE) tection) on the enemy unit who caused the original
When a unit with this ability takes part in an attack damage. This ability only applies to damage inflicted
sequence, either during its activation or during an during a close or ranged attack sequence (but not to
enemy unit’s activation (depending on the keyword damage caused by a state, an order, an aura, a special
after the ability’s name: “attack” means during its own ability, an explosion or a blast).
activation, “defense” means during an enemy unit’s
activation), it inflicts its damage before its opponent RUNAWAY
can inflict his. Consequently, if its hit eliminates its When this unit announces its intention to Retreat
opponent, this unit will not suffer from the enemy’s from close combat, its opponent suffers a -2 CBT pen-
attack. If two units engaged in combat have this abil- alty to their one-sided attack roll during Retreat.
ity – Rapid Strike (Attack) for the attacker and Rapid
Strike (Defense) for the defender – their damage is SCOUT
inflicted simultaneously. Changes of state due to Fast This unit allows its player to have a better choice
hits are taken into account normally at the same time of terrain for the battle to come. The exact rules for
as the ones inflicted by the enemy unit at the end of using Scouts is quite complex and is fully explained
the attack sequence. the complete rules.
RECEIVE CHARGE X SLOW

Weapon ability If this unit Charges, it can come into contact with
The unit receives a +x CBT bonus during an attack an enemy unit as normal, but the enemy unit will get
sequence triggered by an enemy unit using a Charge to perform a one-sided attack with a -1CBT penalty
action against it. instead of a normal attack sequence.
38

GAME SYSTEM
SNIPER
The unit does not have to pick the
nearest enemy unit as its target. It
can shoot any target to which it has a
clear line of fire.
SPIRITUAL DAMAGE
Weapon ability
When this unit performs an attack
sequence, its opponent’s Faith stat is
removed from the Damage inflicted,
instead of its Protection stat.
Being an Unbeliever is not a pro-
tection against Spiritual damage.
STRIDER
This unit does not have to pay
1 CMD point to be able to Run or
Charge through Difficult terrain. A
lemure must have this ability to be
able to enter and/or end its activa-
tion in Difficult terrain.
TELEPORTATION
A unit with this ability cannot
perform a Run, Charge or Retreat
action. This unit’s movements are
not hindered by terrain or by other
units. The unit cannot, however,
end its activation inside another
unit or within Impassable terrain.
The unit is not affected by control
areas during its movement, unless it
starts or ends its movement in one
(for example, it must pay 1 CMD to
leave the control area of an enemy
unit). However this ability cancels
out an Attack of Opportunity if
this unit ends its move in contact
with a unit with that ability. During
a Mêlée action, it behaves like any
other unit. UNCONTROLLABLE
You must spend 1CMD when activating this unit to
TENACIOUS X perform an action other than Attack, Walk or Mêlée.
The unit receives a bonus of +x CBT if an enemy unit This cost in CMD is not considered an order. If the
comes into contact with it while it is waiting. player controlling this unit doesn’t want to spend
any CMD, the unit can still be activated, to take no
TERROR X action.
All enemy units in contact with this unit are affected
by a -x CBT penalty. A unit can only be affected by one VICIOUS X
Terror penalty at a time (use the Terror rating with the This unit gets a bonus of +x CBT when it performs
largest penalty). any kind of one-sided attack on an enemy unit.
TRAINED GUNMAN X VULNERABILITY (KEYWORD) X

The unit receives a +x SHS bonus if it does not move The unit’s Protection score is x against the type of
before or after a Ranged attack. damage indicated between brackets.
39

GAME SYSTEM
onstructing Your
C Company
Before beginning to raise Companies, the two players
must decide on the number of Army Points (AP) they
will have to spend on their troops. A basic Hell Dorado
box is worth 200 Army Points. The standard size of a
Hell Dorado game is therefore 200 Army Points.
Then, the following restrictions should be applied:
All members of the Company must belong to the

same Faction (out of the 5 currently available:
Westerners, Saracens, the Lost, Demons, and Mer-
cenaries). See the complete rules for an important
exception to this rule (Enlisting Mercenaries).
Each Company must have one Officer (no more,

no less).
Independent units with identities can only be used

once in any one Company. All nameless indepen-
dents can be used as much as the players wish (how-
ever, see the Limited keyword as stated below).
Troopers are limited in number: a Company cannot

hire more troopers than its basic Command score. troopers that are lead by the officer must be mer-
cenaries (unless the officer has the Prestige spe-
In any case, units with the Limited keyword cannot cial ability).
be hired more than x times per 200 AP or fraction
thereof. If Limited troopers are hired, both limits must A Mercenary independent unit’s Command points
be taken into account (Limited number of each type of cannot be used to hire troopers from the Compa-
unit and the Company’s basic Command score limit to ny’s Faction, they only allow the hire of Mercenary
the global number of troopers). troopers.
xample: a Limited 6 trooper unit You can hire as many troopers, Mercenaries or
belonging to a 200AP army can only not, as you like, as long as you comply with the
be hired 6 times. Unfortunately, this basic Command score of your Company.
Company only has a basic Command score of
5. Therefore, only 5 of this unit can be hired. xample: the basic Command score of
your Company is 7, and you should be
Obviously, the AP total of all the units in a Company able to hire 7 troopers. However, 2 of
must not be any higher than the total that was decided your 7 command points are provided by an
upon to begin with (generally 200 AP). independent Mercenary unit. Therefore, you
can hire up to 7 troopers but if you choose
to hire more than 5, the last 2 will have to be
Recruiting Mercenaries Mercenaries.
Mercenary troops can generally be recruited by Larger Battles

Companies from another Faction. However, the follow-
ing rules must be followed:
It is possible to play with a Company of over 200
A Mercenary Officer cannot lead a Company Army Points. In any case, there can only ever be one
from another Faction. All the independents and Officer per Company.
40

Hell Dorado

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Hell Dorado

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GAME SYSTEM

D own to Basics height. On the battlefield, this will be scaled down to

For those of you who do not live in countries where

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ1 1 24/10/07 18:12:14

Unit A is inside the explosion area. 3’’

1 measuring distances between units and effect areas

or between one of your units and one of your oppo-

The control areas of units affect the way their oppo-

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ2 2 24/10/07 18:13:20

These minis are in contact

2 two miniatures engaged by their bases, then by the figures

turns into a slap, the too-brutal slapper is immediately OFFICERS

3 diagram of a miniature’s control area

The control areas of units

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ3 3 24/10/07 18:14:02

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ4 4 24/10/07 18:15:23

Front Missionnaire UNIT’S NAME

Indépendant Papiste (chrétien)

Ennemi juré 2 Fanatique

AURAS combat au contact si au moins une touche a été obtenue.

4 Analyzing a stat card (front and back): Missionary

xample: a Protection value of 0 LIFE POINTS (LP)

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ5 5 24/10/07 18:16:17

that belong to specific beliefs, and

xample: the average

When a unit with a Command

xample: the average

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ6 6 24/10/07 18:17:00

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ7 7 24/10/07 18:17:24

xample: Asaliah, a rebel angel, has the

5 three units side by side

Extra Large unit 8 Regular unit

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ8 8 24/10/07 18:18:06

currently Dominant (a large marble, a skull on a stick, a

D ominance through the next turn.

The concept of Dominance is one of the key elements

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ9 9 24/10/07 18:19:35

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ10 10 24/10/07 18:20:17

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ11 11 24/10/07 18:20:43

6 Different types of movement

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ12 12 24/10/07 18:21:44

Quick chart of actions

xample: Stephen has 2 Lost units.

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ13 13 24/10/07 18:22:22

A unit that begins its activation within the con-

If a unit simultaneously enters the control areas

7 Examples of minis entering enemy control areas

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ14 14 24/10/07 18:23:12

8 a miniature inside a control area decides to act

A unit without a Combat stat cannot engage in

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ15 15 24/10/07 18:24:02

should be inflicted and/or any special effects that have

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ16 16 24/10/07 18:25:15

9 multiple units and support

Unit A receives a support bonus of +1 CBT.

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ17 17 24/10/07 18:25:50

Charge -1 CBT for the attacking unit

be more favorable to the attacking unit (depending on

MULTIPLE WEAPONS SHOTS

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ18 18 24/10/07 18:26:48

The shooter has a clear line of

11 line of fire and protection

HD_LIVRE_DE_REGLES_35-75_TECHNIQ19 19 24/10/07 18:27:45