Sacred Wire 28

U1Core Rules

C0.1The Five Booklets

Vol. Booklet Use it to
1 Core Rules Learn the game: lore, squads, combat, casting
2 Requisitions Look up weapons, armor, gear, Powers, Criticals, Fumbles, sample squads
3 Inhuman Resources Run hostiles and Coworkers
4 Campaign Set up a mission, gather Evidence, promote your squad
5 Missions Play the twelve missions, The Signal and The Source

Read Core Rules first. Keep Requisitions open while you build a squad and whenever a roll asks for a table.

If a card or the quick reference disagrees with the rulebook, the rulebook wins. If a mission disagrees with the rulebook, the mission wins for that mission only.

C0.2Rule IDs

Every section has an ID: the booklet letter, the chapter number and the section number. C Core Rules, A Requisitions, I Inhuman Resources, K Campaign, M Missions.

A cross-reference reads title, ID, page. A reference to another booklet adds its volume number after the ID.

Sacred Wire 28

0.9.0-beta by LuisMars

Open Distribution Statute: CC BY-SA 4.0

C1.1The Great Complex

A vertical megastructure three kilometers tall. Cables hang from every surface. They bundle into trunks thicker than bodies, snake through walls, coil underfoot. The Complex was meant to be paradise. Now it decays.

Wired connection is sacred. Wireless is heresy. Since the Tethering, wireless has meant excommunication. Debts are inherited. Children are born subscribed.

C1.2The Powers

The Departments: Resource Allocation, Revenue Operations, Human Capital, Security & Compliance. Four bodies, four budgets, endless jurisdictional warfare.

Maintenance Monks: Cable-priests who tend the sacred conduits. They speak in error codes. They perform ritual diagnostics. Half of what they maintain, they do not understand.

Conduit Authority: The enforcement arm. They do not ask questions. They burn heretics and bill for the ammunition.

The Untethered: Wireless cultists spreading through the lower tiers. They believe signals should travel without permission. They believe the cables are chains.

C1.3Contractors

You are not employees. You are deniable assets.

Contractors operate between factions. They retrieve what was lost and silence what was heard. Every job has a patron. Payment comes in subs. Betrayal comes free.

C1.4Subs

Subs are Subscription Points. They pay for gear, tolls, bribes, and air. Most charges are automatic. You notice subs when you are short.

C1.5The Tiers

Heat rises. Wealth rises faster. The upper tiers stay cool while the depths burn. Subscription fees are deducted automatically from wages that never quite cover them.

Your subscription is your freedom.

By mandate of the Chief Executive Sovereign

C1.6The Seven Pillars

Connectivity. The cable binds. Hierarchy. Each tier serves its superior. Continuity. Systems endure. Workers do not. Accountability. Debts outlive the debtor. Productivity. Idleness is theft. Stability. The Complex endures. Do not ask how. Compliance. The Founders were right.

C1.7Miniatures

This game is meant to be used with 28 mm miniatures. Anything in the 28 mm to 32 mm range works. Models on bases between 25 mm and 32 mm are fully compatible.

Use whatever models you have. Convert them. Kitbash corporate enforcers from sci-fi kits. Build cable-wrapped cultists from fantasy bits. Proxy freely. The model represents what you say it represents.

C1.8What You'll Need

Required (setup, deployment, game length and victory: see Campaign)
- 5 miniatures per squad (1 Boss, 4 Resources)
- 2-4 Coworker miniatures (placed at setup, see Campaign)
- 8 Swarm-size and 6 Normal/Elite-size Hostile miniatures (more for The Signal and The Source; see Inhuman Resources)
- Dice: 2d4, 2d6, 2d8, 2d10, 2d12, one d20 (read any die odd/even for a d2)
- Bag with Activation Tokens (chips, dice, or similar markers: one per player model, one per hostile group, one per Coworker group, a different look per faction)
- Measuring tape (inches)
- 2' by 2' board with dense terrain
- Loot Markers (up to 5)

Optional
- Condition markers (OoA, Flee, Engaged, Bleed, etc.)
- Warband roster sheet
- Evidence tracker (see Campaign)

C1.9Core Mechanics

Roll 2 dice and add the results.

Opposed rolls

Both players roll simultaneously. Higher total wins. Lower DT wins ties. Same DT: re-roll.

Dice Tiers (DT)

2d4 → 2d6 → 2d8 → 2d10 → 2d12

+1 DT: Use the next larger die type.

-1 DT: Use the next smaller die type.

Attribute Caps

Never below 2d4 or above 2d12.

Example · Ties

A Veteran (Combat 2d6) attacks a Brute (Defense 2d8). Both total 9. The lower DT wins the tie: the Veteran's 2d6 beats the Brute's 2d8, so the attack hits. Two Brutes at 2d8 that tie re-roll.

C1.10DT Overflow

Modifiers that exceed the limits pass to your opponent with the opposite effect.

Overflow resolves once. A modifier passed to your opponent never bounces back, even if it would push them past a limit too. Fixed 2d6 rolls (Search, grenades, Morale, support Cast) ignore DT overflow.

Example · Overflow

Ines Okafor (Combat 2d12) gets +1 DT on an attack. 2d12 is the top die, so she still rolls 2d12 and her target, a Veteran with Defense 2d6, rolls 2d4 instead.

"They call the cable sacred. But every cable ends somewhere, and every wire has an owner. Who holds the other end? The wave needs no toll booth. We are still broadcasting."
Open Channel Broadcast, freq. unknown

Personnel Allocation

5 models. 1 Boss, 4 Resources. Each picks a contract type.

C2.1Attributes

Attribute Use
Combat Attack rolls
Defense Resist attacks
Wits Search, Interrogate, tech-related rolls

Pick an array. Assign one die to each attribute.

Technician
2d4 2d6 2d8

Operative
2d6 2d6 2d6
Example · Boss dice

Ines Okafor, the Boss of the Compliance Team, takes the Technician array: Combat 2d8, Defense 2d6, Wits 2d4. Her Boss bonus is +1 DT to one attribute, and she puts it on Wits: 2d4 becomes 2d6. She ends with 2d8, 2d6 and 2d6.

"Solitary cables fray. Bundles endure."
Conduit-Certified Proverb

C2.2Values

Value Use
Health Damage until Out of Action
Move Distance per activation (inches)

C2.3Equipment

Spend 60 subs across your squad on weapons, armor, and gear.

Weapons:

Gear and consumables: no restrictions.

Weapon, armor and gear lists: Melee Weapons (R3.2, Vol. 2), Armor (R3.5, Vol. 2), Gear (R3.10, Vol. 2).

A Broadcaster gets one free starting Broadcast Power. See Contract Types (C2.4).

Example · Budget

Dmitri Osei (Gunner) buys a Carbine (13) and a Pistol (2): 15 subs. The other four models share the remaining 45. Tobias Valdez (Brute) takes a Sword (10) and a Mesh Wrap (2), and Sunita Roche (Zealot) an Injector (9) and a Knife (3): 24 subs between them, 21 left for the last two.

C2.4Contract Types

Contract Type Health Move Weapons Max Armor Special Max
Boss 16 4" Both Heavy +1 DT to one attribute *
Brute 14 3" Melee Heavy +1 melee damage, ignores armor move penalty 2
Veteran 13 4" Both Medium +1 DT Defense below half Health 2
Gunner 14 4" Ranged Medium Ignores move penalty when shooting 2
Scout 12 5" Both Light Free Disengage, Move 3" after deployment 2
Zealot 12 5" Melee Light +2" Move if ending Engaged, +1 DT Combat vs. 2+ enemies 2
Agent 14 4" Both Light Re-roll failed Wits tests 2
Broadcaster 14 4" Melee Light Can Cast 1

* Unique (cannot be replaced). Max: limit per warband.

Example · Reading a row

Tobias Valdez is a Brute. His row gives him 14 Health, 3" Move and melee weapons only, so a Carbine is off his list. He may wear Heavy armor, which costs 1" Move, but his special ignores that penalty: he still moves 3".

Combat & Actions

C4.1Activation

  1. Each player rolls Corporate Blessings (d8 three times)
  2. Add Activation Tokens to a shared bag: one per player model, one per hostile spawn group (see Inhuman Resources), one per Coworker group
  3. Draw a token: that faction activates one model (Hostiles and Coworkers follow their AI table, see Inhuman Resources)
  4. Player model OoA: Discard token immediately. Hostile/Coworker groups: Token stays in bag. Remove a group's token when its last model leaves play.
  5. Each activation: one Move (up to Move") and one Action, in either order. A bonus action is an extra action in the same activation. A model takes at most two actions per activation
  6. Repeat from 3 until the bag is empty: the round ends
  7. Begin a new round: return all tokens to the bag, re-roll Corporate Blessings, and resolve start-of-round effects. Effects that last "until end of round" expire now
Example · A round

Two squads of five models face one Feral Crews group and one Coworker group: 12 tokens in the bag. A Compliance Team token comes out and Ines Okafor activates. She moves up to 4" and attacks, or attacks and then moves. Before the next draw, a Feral Crews Gunner drops Sunita Roche to 0 Health. Sunita is Out of Action, so her token leaves the bag at once. Ten tokens remain.

Once Per Round: Each model activates exactly once per round. Move Again counts as your activation's single action. No effect grants a model a second activation or adds a token for a model that has already activated. An ability that lets a model act again instead grants a bonus action or a DT modifier inside that model's single activation, or moves its single activation earlier.

Next Activation: "Next activation" always means the affected model's own next activation, even if that falls in a later round.

Enemy: A model treats every model of a different faction as an enemy: the two squads, Coworkers and hostiles are all separate factions. Wave Callers and Static Wraiths count as one faction. A Coworker marked Hostile treats every other model as an enemy.

C4.2Corporate Blessings

Declare a blessing before rolling the dice it affects. No model can receive two blessings per round.

d8 Blessing Effect
1 Denied No blessing. One model gains a bonus action
2 Reroll Reroll a single die
3 Boost +1 DT to one roll
4 Overtime One model takes two actions
5 Severance One attack deals max weapon damage
6 Synergy A model you activate with an ally within 6" gains a bonus action
7 Wellness Restore d4 Health to one model during its activation
8 Surplus Roll twice, ignoring 8s
Example · Blessings

You roll d8 three times: 3, 3 and 5. That gives Boost twice and Severance. Ines Okafor shoots with Boost: you declare it, then her Combat rolls 2d10 instead of 2d8. Severance cannot go to Ines this round, because no model receives two blessings. Tobias Valdez takes it: one attack of his deals maximum weapon damage.

C4.3Actions

Action Effect
Attack Combat vs. Defense, deal weapon damage
Move Again Take a second move
Disengage Leave melee safely
Aim Declare target. +1 DT Combat on your next shot (lost if the aiming model moves or takes damage)
Interact Within 1". Grab objective or pick up dropped weapon
Search Within 1" of Loot Marker. Wits vs. 2d6. Not while Engaged
Interrogate Within 1" of Coworker. Wits vs. Wits (+1 DT if the Coworker is wounded)
Cast Wits vs. target Wits or 2d6 (Broadcasters only)

C4.4Movement

Move up to your Move value. Measure from base edge.

Example · Move, then Search

A Scout (Move 5") stands 4" from a Loot Marker. She moves 3", which leaves her within 1", then spends her action on Search: Wits against 2d6. Searching first would fail, because Search needs her within 1" of the marker.

C4.5Melee Engagement

Example · Disengage

A Veteran is Engaged with a Brute and a Scout. Walking away without Disengage gives each of them one free attack at -1 DT: two attacks. Spend the action on Disengage and the Veteran leaves with none.

C4.6Vertical Movement

Action Cost Notes
Climb 2" per 1" vertical Requires climbable surface
Jump gap 1" per 1" horizontal Max 2"
Jump down Free Fall damage if > 3"

Climbing: A climb must be completed within one move or the model stays at the bottom.

Falling: No damage for the first 3". Beyond that, take 1d6 for every 3" fallen, rounding up (4 to 6" deals 1d6, 7 to 9" deals 2d6, 10 to 12" deals 3d6).

Knockback: Only weapons with a Knockback value push. On a hit, move the target directly away from the attacker that many inches. Fall damage applies if pushed off an edge. Stops at obstacles.

AP N: Ignore N points of armor reduction.

Example · Fall

A Mace hit (Knockback 1") shoves a Gunner over the edge of a gantry 8" above the floor. The first 3" are free, and 8" falls in the 7 to 9" band: he rolls 2d6, gets 3 and 5, and takes 8 damage on top of the Mace's own damage.

C4.7Attack Resolution

  1. Attacker declares target and weapon
  2. In melee, defender chooses Defense or Riposte
  3. Both roll at once. Attacker: Combat. Defender: Defense, or Combat at -1 DT when Riposting
  4. Attacker wins: hit; if the defender chose Riposte, the attacker rolls double its weapon damage dice. Defender wins: avoided; a Riposte also deals its weapon damage to the attacker
Example · Riposte

A Brute (Combat 2d8) attacks a Veteran (Defense 2d6). The Veteran picks Defense. The Brute rolls 5 and 6: 11. The Veteran rolls 2 and 4: 6. Higher total wins: hit.

The Veteran picks Riposte with a Sword instead. Combat 2d6 at -1 DT is 2d4, and the Sword gives +1 DT back: 2d6. The Veteran rolls 3 and 4: 7. The Brute still wins and, because the Veteran chose Riposte, rolls double its weapon damage dice.

C4.8Ranged Defense

C4.9Line of Sight (LoS)

Example · Line of sight

A Gunner wants to shoot a Brute behind a crate. Only the Brute's raised arm and Sword show over the top. Arms and weapons do not count: no LoS, no shot. The Brute steps left and his torso and head clear the crate. The Gunner now has LoS.

C4.10Shooting on the Move

Stacks with Cover (C4.13) and Shooting Into Melee (C4.11).

C4.11Shooting Into Melee

C4.12Random Direction

Roll d8 (compass), d12 (clock), the acute angle of a d10, or scatter dice. Move that direction.

C4.13Cover

Example · Stacking

A Veteran (Combat 2d6) moves, then shoots at a target in Cover: -1 DT twice. The first drops the Veteran to 2d4. Nothing rolls below 2d4, so the second passes to the target: the Veteran rolls 2d4 and the target rolls Defense one step higher (2d6 becomes 2d8).

C4.14Range

C4.15Grenades

Example · Frag grenade

Dmitri Osei (Gunner, Combat 2d6) throws a Frag grenade (d8 Explosive) at a point 5" away. He rolls 3 and 5: 8. The 2d6 roll is 4 and 6: 10. He fails, so the grenade scatters d6" from the throw point: the d6 shows 4. Every model within 3" of where it lands takes d8 damage, friend or foe.

C4.16Critical Hits

Example · Triple

Compare totals, not dice. A Gunner (Combat 2d6) shoots a Brute (Defense 2d8) with a Pistol (d4). The Gunner rolls 6 and 6: 12. The Brute rolls 2 and 2: 4. Twelve is three times four: the shot does the maximum, 4 damage, and you roll the Critical table. Swap the rolls and the Brute triples the Gunner: roll the Ranged Fumble table. At a total of 16 it would be quadruple: the critical table roll gets +1.

C4.17Fumbles

C4.18Damage

  1. Roll weapon damage (Double+: use max value instead)
  2. On Triple+: roll the critical table and add any bonus damage
  3. Subtract armor reduction
  4. Deduct from target's Health
  5. Health at 0 or below: Out of Action, remove from play (roll Injury post-game, see Campaign)

Wounded: Model below max Health.

Damage over time: ignores armor and can cause Out of Action.

Example · Damage

A Veteran (Combat 2d6) hits a Gunner (Defense 2d6, Medium armor) with a Sword (d6). The Veteran rolls 9, the Gunner 4: Double, so damage is the maximum, 6. Medium armor takes 2: the Gunner loses 4 Health and drops from 14 to 10.

C4.19Morale

Example · Morale

Ines Okafor goes Out of Action, so every friendly model tests Wits against 2d6. Dmitri Osei (Wits 2d8) has Sunita Roche within 3", so he tests at 2d10: he rolls 6 and 8, 14 against 8. He holds. Tobias Valdez (Wits 2d4) has no friend within 3": he rolls 2 and 3, 5 against 9. He fails and starts to Flee.

C4.20Leaving the Board

Performance Review: A model that left the board (voluntarily or by Flee) earns no Merits this game, takes d6 damage after restoring Health in the post-game (see Campaign), and drops carried items at the edge.

Exception: leaving to satisfy a scenario objective (see Campaign) is not a Performance Review. That model keeps its Merits, mission bonuses, and carried items, and takes no d6 damage.

Broadcast Powers

Wireless is heresy. Unless someone in corporate decided to diversify revenue streams.

Licensed Broadcasters pay steep fees and submit to monitoring. The Untethered refuse. They broadcast without paying, spread without subscription. The Authority calls them terrorists. The Monks call them plague. The Untethered call themselves free.

C5.1Casting

Example · Area cast

A Broadcaster (Wits 2d8) casts Signal Jam on a Gunner (Wits 2d4). The Broadcaster rolls 7 and 8: 15. The Gunner rolls 2 and 3: 5. Fifteen is three times five, so the Gunner and every valid target within 3" of him take -1 DT on all rolls until their next activation. With a 14, only the Gunner would.