Deathburgh: The Final Rulebook Is Here

Welcome to the final version of Deathburgh's rulebook.

In this post, we'll walk you through the finished rules and the major changes the game has gone through over the past few months.

The biggest changes have been to the game's overall dynamics, the core mechanics around Injuries, and the action-reaction system, as well as the removal of "Hit Points" per miniature.

A Refined Stance System

We've reworked the aggressive–defensive stance system (our way of describing how a model is activated and ready to play), making transitions between stances cleaner and more meaningful in play.

New Stress System

The Stress system replaces Vitality with Sanity. This is one of the biggest shifts in the game. Deathburgh is a game where death has effectively disappeared from the setting, so rather than adapting the old Injuries system one-for-one, we built something more playable around it: a table based on two six-sided dice that forms the backbone of the game. It produces 11 possible outcomes, all of which shift depending on whether the roll is made with advantage or disadvantage. The Stress system itself is inspired by games like Darkest Dungeon.

We've also implemented the "Special Traumas" system: “the double results” which lets one of your characters channel their inner hero and launch a powerful counterattack born from stress, turning games into a dynamic experience full of unforgettable narrative moments.

Single-player Mode

The solo system is designed to let a player get a feel for the core rules on their own. We know it's not always easy to convince someone to spend a few hours reading and testing a rulebook, that’s no reason to stop trying, but it's a good reason to give you a way in by yourself!

The Chronicle system

This has been built with an eye on the future, where a more expansive campaign mode can be layered on top. For now, these are simple guidelines for playing a few games of Deathburgh in an afternoon with a real sense of exploration and progress, leaving plenty of room for future expansions.

The Fog of Souls

A new mechanic designed to make games more dynamic and to push players into riskier positions on the board. A fog advances along one side of the board, forcing you to think twice about leaving "healthy" units near those edges.

If you are a member of Highlands Miniatures, you can already download some of the miniatures available for Deathburgh.

Pablo, the game designer behind Deathburgh, will be available on Discord to answer any questions or thoughts you might have.

But be careful, he might just drag you into a game!

So, after all this work, it's your turn to play!