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Core Concepts

Dice​

Dice in Down Range come in four types:

  • Four-sided dice (1d4). The side with the numbers on the "base" or bottom of each side is the result.
  • Six-sided dice (1d6). The side that lands face-up is the result.
  • Eight-sided dice (1d8). The side that lands face-up is the result.
  • Ten-sided dice (1d10). The side that lands face-up is the result. Note that the "0" indicates a result of 10, not 0.

The four types of dice in

The types of dice used. From left to right, this is a four-sided die with a result of 4, a six-sided dice with a result of 6, a 4-sided dice with a result of 4, and a 10-sided dice with a result of 3. Note that colors may differ.

Measurements​

All measurements are given in inches on the playing area. The scale of Down Range is abstract - some movement speeds, weapon ranges, etc. are deliberately shortened in order to let players explore the use of different weapons and tactics without requiring a huge playing area.

Units​

A unit in Down Range is anything that can act independently - troops, crewed vehicles, and unmanned systems.

There are two types of units:

  • Troop units: These represent human beings.
  • Vehicle units: These represent anything else.

Units have three basic statistics:

  • Movement: How fast the unit can move. This is given in inches.
  • Skill: How capable the unit is at accomplishing tasks. This is given in terms of a dice the unit rolls to try things.
  • Defense: How capable the unit is of avoiding or lessening damage. This is given as either a set of dice or a static number.

Success and failure​

Every action in Down Range has its success or failure determined in one of three ways:

  • An automatic success.
  • A dice roll against a target number.
  • One dice roll against another.

In the latter two cases, success occurs when the dice roll is equal to or greater than the target number or roll - it's "meet or beat" in all cases.

Automatic failures​

A roll of all ones, on any roll, is an automatic failure - whatever a player was attempting to do, they fail. The shot doesn't land, the explosive fails to detonate, or the surgery kills the patient.

Advantages and disadvantages​

Certain weapons, capabilities, and conditions can give units an advantage or disadvantage.

  • Advantage: Whenever a unit rolls its skill, the player rolls the skill dice twice and uses the higher result.
  • Disadvantage: Whenever a unit rolls its skill, the player rolls the skill dice twice and uses the lower result.

These don't stack, and any number of advantages and disadvantages cancel each outer out completely. For example, two advantages mean the same as one; twenty disadvantages and one advantage cancel out to have no effect at all.