[Commercial] 'Scrapheap' launches from TurnStyle Games

[Elbows]

Some people here may have followed by build thread here:

https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=133901.0

Well, a 'short' two years later, Scrapheap is available for sale.


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Scrapheap is a violent, fast-paced skirmish wargame ruleset based around gang fights in the bleak and often radioactive future.  In Scrapheap, players will build customized gangs to battle each other for territory and loot.  Gang members which succeed can increase stats, skills, and equipment.  Gang members who fail will pay in debilitating injuries, loss of limbs and gear.

Games in Scrapheap take place in a variety of locations, each providing its own challenges to the gangs.  From radioactive dust storms to angry local raiders or law enforcement, the gangs battle not only each other, but the environment.

Scrapheap includes a simple and robust campaign system, usable with maps or without.  Gangs will gain bonuses as they seize territory, winning a campaign when they successfully subdue their opponents.

Gangs can send members to the fighting pits for ‘leisure’ activity or to earn some needed credits.  Underperforming gang members can be exiled from the gang…except the gang leader.  If he’s not doing his job, someone will have to step up and challenge him for the right to take over.  Not an easy task.

Gangs battle for loot, seeking valuable salvage lost in the wastes of the wretched future.  The salvage may be trapped, however, or contain long-lost technology, valuable relics that are highly sought after.

Equip your gang members with simple clubs, and handguns…or arm them with laser cannons and cybernetic limbs if the budget allows.  Strap on some armour, helmets, shields or jump packs.  Discover animal and robotic companions that will serve alongside your gang members.  Careful though, everything can be destroyed or slain in Scrapheap.  Nothing is safe…

Scrapheap pits players against each other, wielding vicious gangs.  Gangs consist of 3-11 miniatures.  Games are played on a 3’x3’ or larger table.  Scrapheap uses a three-tier dice system borrowed from games such as Dungeon World (using the PBTA engine).  Rolls are made using 2D6, with a bell curve, allowing for Fail, Pass, and Exceed results in most cases.

In Scrapheap each player uses a deck of combat cards to determine activations, loot, damage and protection.  Scrapheap starter sets are sold in two opposing colour decks (three sets available, with a fourth available in the Launch Edition MegaPack).  Each combat card deck comes in a matching tin.  Cards are treated with UV protection and linen-texture prints.
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Find all the links here:
https://turnstylegames.blogspot.com/2023/12/scrapheap-start-here.html

There are three starter sets available, each a pair of coloured decks.  Each deck consists of 54 combat cards and a matching tin.  All combat card decks are identical, but simply in unique colours to allow players to avoid getting decks mixed up during play.

Sample of the combat cards and tins:


Combat cards each contain a number of features which drive the game.


There is an available Scrapheap token set as well, though players with lots of random tokens on hand probably don't need them!


There is a special Launch Edition MegaPack available as well.  It consists of four combat card decks (including two colours only available in this MegaPack), and a set of Scrapheap tokens for a small discount.


Each purchase also includes two PDFs, the Rulebook (55+ pages), and the Appendices (45+ pages).  Once players have acquainted themselves with the rules, the Appendices will be the primary game aid.  The Appendices also include the gang roster sheet, campaign map, and quick reference sheet.



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Read a sample battle report here:
https://myminiaturemischief.blogspot.com/2023/07/scrapheap-demo-game-report.html

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Print-on-Demand Games: I use The Gamecrafter as a print-on-demand supplier for my games.  This means your order will be placed in a queue and it will normally ship between 1-2 business weeks after ordered.  There is an option to pay double to have the product expedited but I don't recommend it (also, conveniently the designer gets no money from that double charge!).
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[hubbabubba]

Congrats to the proud father, good work fella

[beefcake]

Exciting! Sounds like a great campaign system there.

[Elbows]

It's solid as a campaign.  Not something that's going to span years, but in all of our smaller 1-v-1 campaigns, they're wrapped up in around 8-10 games depending on how badly one side gets a leg up.

Haven't ever run a larger 4-6 gang campaign yet, but we've played a "loose" version (not using maps or campaign turns) and it's worked out well.  Also a fun kind of game to set up two tables side-by-side and have four players play a bunch of games in a row, switching off opponents, etc.

[dwbullock]

I've been following the development on the forum.  I went back and looked through the old post.  Didn't see a lot about actual gameplay.

Guessing dice+card stats?  Opposed rolls, or target numbers?

I'm really trying to find something I can sit down with my 11 year old and play without going over a billion little rules.  Looked at stripping GW games, but once you get a lot of their fancy rules out of there, you're left with ... not a great system.  So I'm interested in learning more.

[Elbows]

This game has a lot of crunch, but I'd say the basic concepts are simple.  I'm not sure what age range would grasp it easily/fully.

Basic game play is driven by the combat card deck - drawing a combat card each turn to determine how many activations you get for the turn.  The combat cards are also drawn when dealing damage (as they contain both damage and protection icons which cancel the damage), and when picking up loot (which becomes either an amount of credits, a trap, or a valuable relic).

The basic dice rolling is 2D6+modifiers, with a three tier goal as found in games like Dungeon World.  '6' or less is a Fail, '7-9' is a Pass, and '10' or more is an Exceed.  You apply your models' stat values and then various additional modifiers.  When you Fail you normally simply fail to accomplish your goal, though you may suffer additional penalties.  Pass simply means you succeeed in your goal, but...only narrowly.  Exceed is always what you want - accomplishing your goal, often with benefits.

A 'Pass' burns Ammo, while an 'Exceed" does not.  A 'Pass' can be parried, while an 'Exceed' cannot.  An 'Exceed' provides you with a weapon bonus, while a 'Pass' does not.  If you 'Fail' during a close combat attack your opponent can counterattack or flee, etc.

'Snake Eyes' and 'Boxcars' ignore all modifiers are strictly Fail or Exceed.

A simple example:
Jumping.  A Model can attempt to jump while moving (up to half of its Move value, so on average 3").  You'd roll an Agility test.  The average ganger has an Agility of +0.  So, on a Fail: you fail to jump and must stop immediately, moving no further.  On a Pass: you make the jump but may not move any further this turn.  On an Exceed: you make the jump and may continue moving.  If you roll 'Snake Eyes' you not only fail the jump, but you fall from the ledge.

So, as you can see - you always "want" to Exceed in any test you take, but you'll take a 'Pass' if that's the best you can roll.

Generally speaking I find people pick up the game almost instantly...and when you've played a few games, the actual rules become completely second nature.  The 45+ page PDF for the Appendices are what you'll actually use during the game, so the rulebook can stay on a PDF unless you have some weird instance you need to look up.  The Appendices are all the charts/tables/lists of NPCs/scenarios/skill tables/locations/etc.

The game is deadly, and nothing is 'safe'.  If you buy a fancy weapon, armour, helmet, etc...it can be destroyed by damage results from weapons, etc.  If you go out-of-action during a game, there's a solid chance you die or become prisoner. 

Even the locations you're fighting over can kill you.  You can be swept up in riots in the slums, or caught when local enforcers swarm and table and put every model out-of-action.  You can be shot at by raiders while riding along the top of a giant machine that you're fighting over..you can be boiled alive in caustic "water".  The inhabitants of your location might steal your loot or shoot at you.  NPCs show up and they're able to be activated by both sides...adding extra chaos to the game, particularly in the late stages.

It's easier to go out-of-action than it is to successfully gain an experience level, so you have a vested interest in protecting your models.  You have numerous skill trees that you choose when building your gang, letting you tailor the game to your style of gang.  Your gang type doesn't play a huge role but will determine your income and special strategies you can pull off using the Event generation on the combat cards, etc.

NPCs vary quite a bit.  You have your average raiders.  If you kill Merchants you can gain extra loot.  If you kill Ambassadors, extra experience (but they come with droid guards...so not so easy).  You can run into mutated junkyard dogs, vultures, zombies, sand wyrms, pit fighters, etc. etc. etc. If you run into Hired Guns you can attempt to pay them mid-game to join your gang (for that game only...).

It probably sounds like a lot, but a few games in and you'll be rocking and rolling. 

[Elbows]

PS: Forgot one of the main mechanics - killin' folks.

When you roll a Pass or Exceed when performing a melee or ranged attack, you simply draw a combat card.  The bottom half of each card contains between 1-3 results.  Some weapons don't use all the results, but most do.  The results vary from simple wounds (Models mostly have 3-4 wounds), to stuns, to destroying equipment and weapons.



In this example, the target Model would be stunned and suffer one wound.  Unless...he is wearing a helmet (see the Helmet icon in the top right).  There are no saves, if you have a helmet, the helmet icon stops the attack.  Rolls it all into one card with no unnecessary dice rolls, etc.

There is a rather large list of weapons you can purchase/use with a variety of traits/special rules.  All weapons have an EB or Exceed Bonus - fancy stuff that happens when you roll an Exceed, making them even more deadly.  My favourite is probably the Powered Gauntlet.  If you draw a 'destroy' result of any kind..you draw another card...if you get a further 'destroy' result, you draw again, etc.  Basically you grab your opponent and slowly crush them to death!

[Easy E]

Congrats getting this together and launched! 

[ithoriel]

I really like the look of this. I think it would be great to use with younger family members as well as with fellow grognards.

Alas it looks like it is only available on the other side of The Pond from me. Or am I missing something? Is there a UK/ EU distributor?

[Elbows]

No European distributor as it is a print-to-order game, and from a company based here in the U.S.  As usual, you'll be subject to international shipping and that thievery your customs folks partake in. 

[Elbows]

A few pictures from running Scrapheap at Siege of Augusta this weekend.

[mikedemana]

Looks awesome! My friend Jason and his kids were there. I should ask him if he played in it...

Mike Demana