Burrows & Badgers: A Skirmish Game of Anthropomorphic Animals
Burrows & Badgers: A Skirmish Game of Anthropomorphic Animals Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Welcome
Welcome to the new edition of Burrows & Badgers, the skirmish game of anthropomorphic animals. This 'getting started' guide is for the 2025 edition of the game.
Whether you're new to the game, or have already played the previous version, it'll be worth looking at the basics, as there have been several changes.
Before you can start playing, you'll need a band of heroes and three objective markers for each player. So let's begin with Band creation, which you'll find on page 38 of the rulebook.
We're going to look at making Bands using the Starter Band miniatures available from Oathsworn Miniatures. You'll need a blank Roster, and ideally a pencil, an eraser, and some scrap paper; you may need to change things as you go along!
Band Creation
Here's a summary of the Band Creation process:
- A new Band starts with 350 Pennies to spend.
- Pick an Allegiance and record the Den Upgrade it gives you on your Roster.
- A new Band must have a minimum of two models.
- A Band can have a maximum of ten models, even during Campaign play. No more than eight models may be Large (40mm bases) and no more than six Massive (50mm bases).
- Any Species listed as Rare may only be taken once.
- All models must be given at least one piece of Equipment (a Weapon, Armour, or an Item) or at least one Spell. Which Equipment and Spells are available to you will depend on your Allegiance.
- Your Leader may upgrade one Stat by one dice level, up to a maximum of d12, and choose one Skill. This adds two to the model's Level.
- Your Second may choose one Skill. This adds one to the model's Level.
- A model may be made into a Magic-user by simply choosing at least one Spell from a Magical Archetype available to your Allegiance. Then they receive the Weak (1) and Delicate (1) Skills for every Spell they have.
- Small models start at Level 1, Medium models at Level 2, Large models at Level 3, and Massive models start at Level 4.
- Your Band Rating is the total of the Levels of all your models.
- As well as miniatures to represent your Band, you must also have three Objective markers, around 30mm across.
Each Band starts with 350 Pennies to spend. Pennies are the in-game currency you'll use to hire and equip your models. All models must have at least one piece of Equipment or a Spell.
You need to choose an Allegiance for your Band, which represents the ideals and politics that it is sworn to. There are ten Allegiances to choose from, but I'd recommend sticking to the first four Allegiances (Royalists, Rogues, Freebeasts, and Kindred), until you're more familiar with the ins and outs of the game.
Example Band: The Gargrave Garrison (Royalist)
We'll start by making a Band with the Royalist Allegiance, found on page 47 of the rulebook. Royalist Bands have the benefit of the Kingdom of Northymbra's organised military structure and will be better trained fighters than other Bands. So for a solid fighting Band, the Royalist Allegiance is a good choice.
So we'll fill in our Allegiance, our Den Upgrade, and our Archetype. You don't need to worry about Den Upgrades and Archetypes yet – that'll be covered during Campaign play.
Next we need to start choosing and equipping our models. All the different species in the game are given a set of Statistics; and this Statistic (or Stat) profile determines how good they are at doing different things. The nine Statistics are Movement (M), Strike (S), Block (B), Ranged (R), Nimbleness (N), Concealment (C), Awareness (A), Fortitude (F), and Presence (P). Each of these Stats is represented by a particular dice, ranging from a d4 up to a d20. The higher the dice, the better the Statistic.
As I'm basing this Band on the Starter Band A from Oathsworn Miniatures, I'll start by choosing a Leader for the Band. He's an Otter, so as you can see on the Species Table on pages 43 to 46 of the rulebook, he's a Large size beast, with a pretty good Stat profile, and costs 49 pennies to hire.
As he's my Leader, he gets to upgrade one Statistic by one dice level (ie. d4 becomes d6, or d6 becomes d8 etc), and take an extra Skill. I'll also need to buy him some Equipment too.
I'm going to upgrade his Block Statistic from an otter's normal d6 to a d8. And for his Skill, I'm considering the Fighting Skills 'Killing Blow' or 'Parry'. Both would be useful, as I'm planning on having him do a lot of fighting! But I'll sort his Equipment before making a final decision.
So I'll buy Equipment from the General Store on page 176 of the rulebook. You can buy any Equipment marked as 'Common' from the General Store during Band creation. You will also be able to purchase some of the Equipment marked as 'Rare', but exactly which depends on the Allegiance you've chosen.
I'll get a Polearm first for 14 pennies. That goes in one of his two 'Weapon' slots in his Equipment list.
Next I want to get a Talisman, for 5 pennies. That is an Item, so goes in the 'Item' slot in his Equipment list.
I also want to give him Very Heavy Armour, for maximum protection. But that's marked as 'Rare', so I wouldn't normally be able to take it. Thankfully though, it's in the Royalist Allegiance's Rare Equipment Option list, so I can buy it, for 40 pennies.
Very Heavy Armour is useful stuff, giving great protection. But it comes with a downside:
I'd like to avoid those penalties. So for my Leader's Skill, I choose 'Born in Harness', which gets rid of those problems. That Skill gets added to the Strong (1) Skill, and the Swim Skill that all otters start with.
That brings my Leader to a total of 108 pennies (49 for an Otter, 14 for the Polearm, 5 for the Talisman, and 40 for the very Heavy Armour.) You can see his completed Roster on page 10 of this booklet.
Next, I'll need a Second for my Band. Seconds are the Leader's deputy, and also get to choose a bonus Skill.
I'll take a Medium Hound, for 31 pennies. Because he's a Medium Hound, he starts with the Skill Strong (1), and because he's my Second, I can choose an extra Skill too.
I choose the Strength Skill 'Enduring' (page 140) which lets him ignore any penalties he suffer due to Wounds he's lost. That way, he'll stay useful even when heavily wounded.
For his Equipment, I go to the General Store on page 176 of the rulebook, and buy a One Handed Weapon for 8 pennies, Heavy Armour for 27 pennies, and a Light Shield for 12 pennies. This brings him to a total of 78 pennies (31 for a Medium Hound, 8 for a One Handed Weapon, 27 for Heavy Armour, and 12 for a Light Shield). Because Heavy Armour takes up two 'Armour' Equipment slots, I'll put his Light Shield in the 'Special' slot, which can be used for a Weapon, Armour or an Item.
Together with my Leader, this brings me to a total of 186 pennies spent. Next, I'll add a bit of magical support to the Band. I choose a Hedgehog for 31 pennies. I'll make him a Magic User (see page 40 of the rulebook). Any model can be a Magic-user; all you need to do is give them at least one Spell. The Spells don't cost any pennies; but the downside is, for every Spell you take, the model gets the Skills Delicate (1) and Weak (1), which make them less resistant to injury and worse at fighting.
So it's best to keep your Magic-users out of combat if you can! They won't last long if you leave them at the mercy of your opponent...
Your Allegiance determines which Magical Archetypes you can choose from, and each Magic-user you take must pick one of those Magical Archetypes. I select the 'Unbound' Magical Archetype, and give my hedgehog two Spells from that Archetype, 'Van Rubel's Acceleration' and 'Morglum's Fiery Blast'. That will give him a Spell to support other models in the Band, and a Spell to cause direct damage to enemy models. But because he's got two Spells, he's also now Weak (2) and Delicate (2).
For Equipment, I buy him a Mage's Focus, and a Signature Item. These are both in the 'Item' category, so one goes in his 'Item' Equipment slot, and the other goes in the 'Special' slot, which can be used to carry a Weapon, or Armour, or an Item.
The Magic-user's total cost is 49 pennies (31 for the Hedgehog, 15 for the Mage's Focus, and 3 for the Signature Item).
The total spend so far is 235 pennies, leaving me 115 left to finish the Band. And I'd like to add a couple more models, as I reckon five models is a good number for a starting Band.
I add a Rabbit (28 pennies) and a mouse (24 pennies), and I give them both the same Equipment; a One Handed Weapon (8 pennies), a Bow (14 pennies) and a Buckler (8 pennies).
That gives the Band a bit of long range support, and they can also get stuck in close up too. That leaves me on 347 pennies in total, so I add the spare 3 pennies to my Band's Treasury.
Because I've chosen the Royalist Allegiance, I can improve the Strike stat of two of the models. I decide to use this on my Leader and my Second, increasing them both to d10.
As well as recording all the model's Stats on the Roster, I need to add their Levels, and use that to work out the Band's Rating.
The Otter is a Large beast, so starts at Level 3, but he has had a Stat increase and an extra Skill due to being the Leader, and a Stat increase due to the Band's Royalist Allegiance. Those three bonuses each increase his Level by 1, so he is Level 6.
The Medium Hound starts at Level 2, but his extra Skill for being the Second, and the Stat increase he got due to the Band's Allegiance both increase his Level by 1, for a total of Level 4.
The Hedgehog is also a Medium beast, and so also Level 2. He's got two Spells, but they don't increase his Level, as he's suffered Weak and Delicate penalties from them. So he stays Level 2.
The Rabbit (Medium, Level 2) and the Mouse (Small, Level 1) have no bonus Skills, or Stat upgrades. So they stay at Levels 2 and 1, respectively.
The Band's Rating is a total of all the model's Levels. This means the Band's Rating is 15 (6 + 4 + 2 + 2 + 1).
You'll also need to make up names for your models, which can be great fun, or a horrible chore, depending on how easy you find it...
So that's the Band chosen. They are a quite simple Band to use, with two strong and well protected close-combat fighters, two supporting models who can join in a melee, or hang back and shoot, and a Magic-user to either boost one of the fighters, or blast the enemy with fire.
They are a bit lacking in speed, with no really fast models or flyers, so missions involving a lot of movement may be a struggle. But overall, they are a solid band with a good mix of options.
Example Band: The Frosterley Fellowship (Rogues)
We'll take a look at a Band with the Rogues Allegiance next. The rules for this are on page 48 of the rulebook. I'm basing this Band on the Starter Band B from Oathsworn Miniatures. First, I'm taking a Fox, as the Band's Leader. Costing 42 pennies (page 45 of the rulebook), I add a One Handed Weapon (8 pennies) from the General Store Table (page 176), and a Caliver from the Rogue Allegiance starting Rare Equipment options (page 48) for 25 pennies, for a total of 75 pennies.
Foxes start with a decent Stat line and the Strong (1) Skill, and I use the bonus Stat upgrade and bonus Skill for being a Leader to increase the model's Ranged Stat to a d10, and take the 'Expert Shot' Skill (page 129). Armed with that Caliver, this model will be deadly at long range.
Foxes are Large beasts, so start at Level 3, and with the two Leader bonuses added, this model is Level 5.
I take a Cat as the Band's Second, costing 34 pennies. I equip him with a Spear (8 pennies), a Light Crossbow (20 pennies) and a Tangle Net (10 pennies), all Common gear from the General Store Table. This comes to a total of 72 pennies. As the Band's Second, this model can take a bonus Skill; I choose the 'Strider' Skill (page 142 of the rulebook).
A Cat (Medium beast) starts at Level 2, and the Second bonus Skill adds another, making this model Level 3.
Again, I take a Magic-user next, this time, a Squirrel, for 42 pennies. Looking at the Magical Archetypes available to the Rogues Allegiance, I can choose from Natural, Wild, Noble, Unbound, Fateweaver, and Illusionism. I choose Natural, and pick two Spells from that Archetype, 'Cure' and 'Lightning'. The Spells don't cost me any pennies, but for each Spell taken, the Magic-user gets the Skills 'Weak' (1) and Delicate (1).
For Equipment, I buy a Mage's Focus (15 pennies) and a Mage's Pouch (12 pennies). The Focus will improve the chances of successful spell casting, while the Pouch is used for storing Ingredients, which are used to boost the effects of your spells. So I buy some Ingredients as well; three Lugwort, (3 pennies each) and one Copper Strip (4 pennies).
Both the Mage's Focus and the Mage's Pouch are classed as Items, so I put one in the 'Item' Equipment slot, and the other in the 'Special' Equipment slot (which can be used for a Weapon, Armour, or an Item). The Ingredients don't take up any Equipment slots, so I just write them in the 'Skills/Spells/etc.' box. I'll cross them off when they get used in games.
In total, this model costs me 82 pennies.
A Squirrel (Medium beast) starts at Level 2, and with no bonuses added, stays at Level 2. Remember, although this model has two Spells, they don't add to the model's Level, because they also caused Weak and Delicate penalties.
So far, I've spent 229 pennies of the 350 total allowed. That means I have 121 pennies left. I take a Weasel, at 36 pennies, and buy a Two Handed Weapon (14 pennies) and Light Armour (14 pennies). Another 64 pennies spent, and now just 57 left. This model is another Medium size beast, and so is Level 2.
Finally, I choose a Medium Raptor for 43 pennies, and buy a Talisman (5 pennies) and a Healing Potion (8 pennies), for a total of 56 pennies, and that's just about everything spent!
Again, another Level 2 model, and just 1 penny left to go into the Band's Treasury.
The Rogues Allegiance has the starting bonus 'Quick and Quiet', which lets two of the models improve their Move or Nimbleness or Concealment dice by one level, to a maximum of d12. This increases the models' Levels by one.
I use this to increase the Cat's Move Stat to d8, and the Medium Raptor's Concealment to d8, so the Cat becomes Level 4, and the Medium Raptor becomes Level 3.
The Band's Rating is a total of all the model's Levels, giving the Band a Rating of 16.
Compared to the Royalists, this is a more nuanced Band, requiring more effort to get the best out of them. Individually, each model is relatively vulnerable, lacking the armour of the Royalists. But by using ranged fire to weaken their enemies and then ganging up on isolated models, these Rogues can cause a lot of damage. And the Magic-user's 'Cure' Spell can make a huge difference, keeping models in the fight for a lot longer than might be expected.
They're also fast moving, with good Move and Nimbleness Stats, the Cat's 'Strider' Skill, and the Medium Raptor's 'Flight' Skill. This allows them to choose when to engage the enemy, and avoid risky situations.
Example Rosters
The printed Roster sheets for the two example Bands (pages 10, 11, 16 and 17 of the Getting Started guide) list the following. Each model's Stat dice are not transcribed here; they are shown on the printed sheets.
The Gargrave Garrison (Allegiance: Royalist; Archetype: Warrior; Band Rating: 15; Treasury: 3; Den Upgrade: Polls/Training Ground)
- Bartrick Steelheart, Otter, Level 6. Skills: Strong (1), Swim, Born in Harness. Equipment: Pole-Arm (Weapon), Very Heavy Armour (Armour), Talisman (Item).
- Galvide Hardegott, Medium Hound, Level 4. Skills: Strong (1), Enduring. Equipment: One Handed Weapon (Weapon), Heavy Armour (Armour, two slots), Light Shield (Special).
- Allegor Mandaby, Hedgehog, Level 2. Skills: Spines, Weak (2), Delicate (2), Van Rubal's Acceleration, Morglum's Fiery Blast. Equipment: Mage's Focus (Item), Signature Item (Special).
- Delfort Swiftpad, Rabbit, Level 2. Equipment: One Handed Weapon (Weapon), Bow (Weapon), Buckler (Armour).
- Marley Grumbert, Mouse, Level 1. Equipment: One Handed Weapon (Weapon), Bow (Weapon), Buckler (Armour).
The Frosterley Fellowship (Allegiance: Rogues; Archetype: Ranger; Band Rating: 16; Treasury: 1; Den Upgrade: Obstacle Course)
- Dolephine Raithley, Fox, Level 5. Skills: Strong (1), Expert Shot. Equipment: One Handed Weapon (Weapon), Caliver (Weapon).
- Burgess Latigert, Cat, Level 4. Skills: Strider. Equipment: Spear (Weapon), Light Crossbow (Weapon), Tangle Net (Item).
- Rorsley Grottimer, Squirrel, Level 2. Skills: Climber, Weak (2), Delicate (2), Cure, Lightning, Ingredients: Lugwort x3, Copper Strip x1. Equipment: Mage's Focus (Item), Mage's Pouch (Special).
- Helwyn Cannock, Weasel, Level 2. Skills: Fearless. Equipment: Two Handed Weapon (Weapon), Light Armour (Armour).
- Skrik Graark, Medium Raptor, Level 3. Skills: Flight, Unarmed Fighter, Strong (1), Natural Hunter. Equipment: Talisman (Item), Healing Potion (Special).
The Basics
Once you've got your Band together, it's time to take a look at the basics of the game rules. We'll just look at the most common rules, and leave the more complicated stuff for another time.
We'll start with the Core Rule Mechanic – the Roll-off.
The Roll-off
To keep things simple, everything you do in Burrows & Badgers is based around one core rule; the Roll-off. When a player carries out an Action with one of their models, they take a Roll-off, using one of the model's Statistics. Which one will vary depending on the type of Action being carried out. The acting player rolls the type of dice assigned to the model's Statistic, plus or minus any modifiers that may apply. This is the acting player's Total.
The opposing player will also roll one of their Statistics, plus or minus any modifiers that may apply. This is the defending player's Total.
If the acting player's Total is equal to or lower than the opposing player's Total, the Action fails. If it is higher, the Action succeeds.
To determine how well an Action succeeds, you subtract the opposing Total from the acting player's Total. This number is the Result, and the higher it is, the more successful the Action is, such as causing more Wounds or similar.
Example: Fleabite Hardpad attacks Garrick Longear. His Strike statistic is d8, so he rolls a d8, scoring a 6. He has no modifiers to add or subtract, so his Total is 6. Garrick Longear has a Block statistic of d6, so he rolls a d6, scoring a 2. He is carrying a buckler which gives him +1 to Block rolls, so Garrick adds 1 to his dice roll of 2, for a total Total of 3. The Result is 3 (Fleabite's 6 minus Garrick's 3), so Fleabite's attack succeeds, causing 3 Wounds.
Perfect & Disastrous Rolls
When rolling dice for a Roll-off, a player will sometimes get a 'perfect' roll. We define this as when you roll the highest possible number on your dice; for example, a roll of a 4 on a d4, or 10 on a d10 etc.
If a player rolls a 'perfect', then luck is on their side; the Roll-off has gone unusually well, and they add +7 to their Total. In this way, even the weakest of warriors can, with luck, defeat the most powerful of enemies.
Of course, while rolling the highest possible score is what everyone hopes for, all wargamers know that rolls of '1' happen more often than we'd like… in Burrows & Badgers, we call this a 'disastrous' roll. You'll most likely lose that Roll-off. But to mitigate that, the model which rolled the 1 receives one extra Fate point, which can be used for activating special skills, magic, and for re-rolling dice. That way, even a string of bad rolls won't ruin your game!
Actions
A game of Burrows & Badgers is broken up into several Turns. Every model gets activated once per Turn, and can make two Actions when they do.
The Actions they can choose from are: Focus, Move, Barge, Charge, Attack, Guard, Shoot, Cast, Sneak, Search and Interact. You can choose two different Actions, or perform the same one twice. But if you do the same Action twice, any Roll-offs you make in the second Action have a -2 modifier.
Move Actions
Let's take a look at Move Actions first. A model making a Move Action that begins in Normal Terrain may turn freely and may be moved horizontally a distance equal to the model's Move Stat in inches, or vertically up a ladder, rope, or similar a distance equal to the model's Nimbleness Stat in inches. The Move Action may include both horizontal and vertical movement. If it does, use whichever Stat is lower.
You don't have to roll dice for this; the model may move up to the maximum value the dice could roll (i.e. 8" for a model with a Move Stat of d8, or 12" for a model with a Move Stat of d12).
If during the Move, the model reaches Difficult Terrain, then the model's Stat dice must be rolled. As before, use the Move Stat for horizontal movement, and the Nimbleness Stat for vertical movement. Subtract the distance already moved (rounding down) from the dice roll; the result is the remaining distance that can be moved as part of this Action.
If the model is already in Difficult Terrain when they begin a Move Action, then the model's Stat dice must be rolled. Use the Move Stat for horizontal movement, and the Nimbleness Stat for vertical movement. The number rolled is the distance that can be moved in the Move Action.
There's a bit more to moving around the board, like jumping, barging models out of the way, and charging at enemies. But we'll save that for another time.
Attack Actions
Next, let's look at Attack Actions. If you've got a model in Base Contact with an enemy model, then you can make an Attack Action.
You make a Roll-off; the Attacking model rolls their Strike Stat, and adds or subtracts any modifiers that apply (due to Skills, for example.) The target model will defend themselves, and will roll their Block Stat, again, adding or subtracting any modifiers that apply (say, the +2 for using a Light Shield, or the +2 for having made a Guard Action).
If the Attacking model's Total beats the target model's Defence Total, the Attack has succeeded; work out the Result of the Roll-off (i.e. subtract the target model's Total from the Attacking model's Total). The target model suffers a number of Wounds equal to the Result.
So, if your total for the Roll-off was a 7, and your opponent's total was a 3, you'd cause 4 Wounds on them (7-3=4).
The number of Wounds you cause is increased by any Strong Skill the Attacking model can apply, and reduced by any Tough the target model can apply. So, if you'd caused 4 Wounds and had the Strong (1) Skill, you'd add that 1, for a total of 5 Wounds caused.
And if your target was wearing Heavy Armour (giving Tough (2)), then those 5 Wounds would be reduced to 3.
Shoot Actions
Of course, if your models aren't close enough to make an Attack, then any model with a bow, crossbow or similar can make a Shoot Action at any enemy model within the weapon's Range.
A model making a Shoot Action cannot be within 2" of an enemy model, and must have Line of Sight to their target model. If they only have Partial Line of Sight, their roll will have a -2 modifier.
Just like when making an Attack, you make a Roll-off; the Shooting model rolls their Ranged Stat, plus and/or minus any modifiers that apply. And again, the target model will Defend. They will roll their Nimbleness Stat to Defend, plus and/or minus any modifiers that apply.
If the Shooting model's Total beats the target model's Defend Total, the Shoot Action has succeeded; work out the Result of the Roll-off (i.e. subtract the target model's Total from the Shooting model's Total). The target model suffers a number of Wounds equal to the Result.
The number of Wounds caused is increased by any Strong Skill the Shooting model can apply, and reduced by any Tough the target model can apply.
One way to get the best out of a Shoot Action (or any other Action that uses a Roll-off) is to make a Focus Action first. That gives you a +2 modifier to any dice you roll in your next Action.
Interact Actions
Another Action that you'll need to get used to is the Interact Action. Certain bits of Equipment need an Interact Action to use, but the most common use is reloading ranged weapons. Many of the more powerful ranged weapons, like crossbows and calivers, need reloading after each Shoot Action. You do that by making an Interact Action, and then the weapon is ready to use again.
Cast Actions
The Cast Action is used by Magic-users to cast their spells. Some spells are listed as Shooting Spells. For those, the Casting model cannot be within 2" of an enemy model, just like making a Shoot Action. For all other Spells, you can Cast however close any enemy models are.
The Casting model must have Line of Sight to their target model. If they only have Partial Line of Sight, their roll will have a -2 modifier. And if the Spell's description has a Range listed, they must check that their target model is within Range.
Make a Roll-off. The Casting model rolls the appropriate Stat (either Fortitude or Presence, depending on the Magical Archetype they are using), plus and/or minus any modifiers that apply.
Unlike Attack and Shoot Actions, you don't roll against someone else's roll. Instead, your Roll-off is made against the Spell's Difficulty value. You compare the Casting model's Cast Total to the Spell's Difficulty and, if the Total is higher, the Cast Action succeeds. Work out the Result of the Roll-off if needed; this will depend on the Spell being cast (i.e. subtract the Spell's Difficulty from the Casting model's Cast Total). Apply the effects of the Spell as given in the Spell's description.
Worked Example
Let's put it all together, with an example. We'll use the two Leaders for the Bands we've created, as they have lots of Skills and Equipment, which we can show being used.
Bartrick Steelheart is 7" away from Dolephine Raithley, but Dolephine has the Initiative (page 20 of the rulebook), and so will get to take her Actions first.
Her first Action is a 'Focus'; this gives her a +2 modifier to any dice rolled in her next Action.
For her second Action, Dolephine chooses a 'Shoot', lining her Caliver up on the approaching form of Bartrick. He's well within the weapon's Range, and she has clear Line of Sight to him.
She rolls her Ranged Stat of d10, and gets a 7. She adds +2 for her previous Focus Action, and another +2 for her 'Expert Shot' Skill. So her Total is 11.
Bartrick rolls his Nimbleness Stat (d8) to Defend, and rolls a 4. He has no modifiers, so his Total is 4.
Dolephine's 11 beats Bartrick's 4, so her shot has hit, with a Result of 7 (11 minus 4 = 7). Calivers have Strong (3), so cause an extra 3 Wounds. Bartrick's Very Heavy Armour gives Tough (4), so would normally reduce the Wounds by 4, but Dolephine's Caliver has an armour piercing abilty, ignoring two points of Tough. So Bartrick takes 8 Wounds in total (Result of 7, plus 3 from Strong, minus 2 from Bartrick's armour's Tough).
But Bartrick has a Talisman in his Equipment, so he rolls a d8 and scores a 3. This reduces the Wounds he suffers by 3, but the Talisman is used up and is removed from his Roster.
He crosses the 5 Wounds he takes off of his Roster. He's crossed off one of the shaded Wound boxes (numbers 4, 7, 10 and 13), which means he now has a -1 modifier to any Roll-offs he makes.
And that's both of Dolephine's Actions done. The Initiative passes to Bartrick now. He's 7" away from Dolephine; he could try a 'Charge' Action, but that carries the risk of not moving far enough to make an Attack, so instead he just makes a 'Move' Action. His Move Stat is d8, so in Normal Terrain he can move 8", easily enough to reach Base Contact with Dolephine.
His second Action is an 'Attack'. He rolls his Strike of d10, scoring a 6. He gains a +1 bonus for his Polearm, taking that to 7. Unfortunately, all those Wounds Dolephine caused mean he's crossed off one of the shaded Wound boxes, giving him a -1 modifier to all his Roll-offs. So his Total is 6 (roll of 6, +1 for the Polearm, -1 for Wound penalties.)
Dolephine rolls her Block Stat of d6 to Defend, and rolls a 6. This is a 'Perfect' Roll, the highest possible on that type of dice. That gives her a +7 modifier, taking her Total to 13.
Bartrick's Attack has failed (Bartrick's Total of 6 doesn't beat Dolephine's Total of 13). And that's both of Bartrick's Actions used.
As we're only using these two models, and they've both been Activated, the Turn would now end.
At this point, it might look like Dolephine has the edge, with Bartrick already wounded, and with his Talisman already used up. But she's actually in a difficult position; her Caliver has the Slow rule, so needs reloading before she can fire it again. That'll require an Interact Action, and even then, she'd need to move more than 2" away from Bartrick before she could make a Shoot Action.
Whereas all Bartrick has to do now is start making more Attacks, maybe with a Focus Action to start.
A lot will depend on who gets the Initiative in the next Turn. If it goes to Dolephine, her best chance might be to try and make two Move Actions, and break contact with Bartrick altogether, and hope to get the chance to shoot again in the following Turn. But if the Initiative goes to Bartrick, she could be in real trouble... might be time to burn some Fate points!
And that's the bare-bones basics covered. You'll need the rulebook to go through the rest.
We'll be (eventually!) making a series of short videos to explain the rules more fully, which will be available on the publisher's YouTube channel.
Faq & Errata (2nd Edition)
Official Faq & Errata for the 2nd Edition hardback rulebook, latest update 16th May 2025, published by Oathsworn Miniatures. Transcribed in full.
Since the release of the 2nd Edition Burrows & Badgers hardback rulebook at Salute 2025, we've had a couple of questions about the rules, and also noticed a few errors that managed to sneak through the editing process (they've got a high Concealment stat, obviously…)
Core Rules Questions
Q: How many Wounds does each beast have? Do they all have 16, even the little ones?
A: Yes, all beasts have 16 Wounds - it keeps the Warband Roster simpler. But the Tough and Delicate Skills makes a huge difference; so although a Bat and a Beaver both have 16 Wounds, the Beaver's Tough (3) makes him much harder to take down, while the Bat's Delicate (2) means they're an easy target.
Band Creation Questions
Q: On page 45, the Pennies cost for the Green Lizard and the Siamese Cat are in the Skills column. Do they have any starting Skills?
A: No, they have no starting Skills.
Q: Small and Medium Mist Ghasts have the same Stats, but a Medium Mist Ghast is one Level higher, which pushes up my Band Rating; why would I take a Medium Mist Ghast rather than a Small one?
A: Medium Mist Ghasts can use Barge Actions against Small and Medium models, rather than just Small. It also affects certain Wandering results, so can be beneficial.
Q: Mist Ghasts and Stag Beetle Grubs are listed in the Species Table. Does this mean any Band can hire them at Band creation?
A: No! Mist Ghasts are exclusive to the Undead Allegiance, and no other Allegiance can take them. Stag Beetle Grubs, although models in a Band, are taken as Rare Equipment, as they are hard to find. The only Bands that may take them at Band creation are Witch Hunters, Wildlings and Hillfolk, who have them listed in their Starting Rare Equipment Options.
Q: On p115, it says Stag Beetle Grubs start with the Skill 'Unreliable', but on page 43, they are not listed with Unreliable... are they Unreliable?
A: Yes, Stag Beetle Grubs start with 'Unreliable'. You need a model with the Skill 'Critter Boss' to remove it.
Q: If a Routiers Band takes a Raw Recruit whose Fortitude and/or Presence are d4, does it get reduced to pay for their Equipment?
A: The only one it applies to is a Small Bird. d4 is as low as a Stat can go, so it doesn't get reduced. Effectively, Small Birds who are Raw Recruits get the Equipment without any penalty; they're already weedy enough! It's technically open to abuse, in that someone could just take loads of Small Birds to get free Equipment. But I'd just refuse to play them! ;)
Spell Questions
None yet.
Skills Questions
Q: The Skill 'Zweihander' seems to just be a worse version of the Skill 'Parry'. Why would anyone take Zweihander?
A: Because we missed a bit out... here's the full version:
Zweihander Type: Fighting Requirements: None
This model has practiced long and hard with Two-handed Weapons and can wield them as if they were weightless. The model gains +1 to Strike rolls and does not suffer the -2 penalty to Block rolls, while using a Two-handed weapon.
Equipment Questions
Q: In the Enchanted Equipment Creation Tables, you can have an Item of Smiting, but the Smiting description on p122 says: 'For melee Weapons, adds the Bonus to any Strike Roll-Offs the user makes. For missile Weapons, adds the Bonus to any Ranged Roll-Offs the user makes.' So what does an Item of Smiting do?
A: An Item of Smiting adds the bonus to any Strike or Ranged Rolls you make. So that's both Strike AND Ranged, unlike Weapons of Smiting that only add to either Strike OR Ranged. If this turns out to be overpowered, we'll change it!
Q: In the Rare Equipment list on p177, there's no price listed for Mortal Poison... how much should it be?
A: d8+3 pennies.
Q: The prices for Relics, Anti-venom and Arcane Tome are different than they were in the playtest document... are they correct?
A: No; the Relic should be d6, and Anti-venom d4 pennies. Arcane Tomes should be 3d6+7 pennies.
Campaign Questions
Q: On the Major Injuries Table, both 'Chest Wound' and 'Enfeebled' cause Delicate (1). Is this correct?
A: No; 'Enfeebled' should cause Weak (1).
Q: Can a character be reduced to Level 0 by an injury, or would they stop at Level 1?
A: We've played it both ways, TBH! I'd always say don't go to negative numbers, as nothing gets reduced below 0 by negatives in B&B. But going to Level 0 does make sense, in that it reflects the injury in the Band Rating properly. But it just feels off to me! On balance, I lean towards Level 1 as being the minimum, personally. But either will work.
Questions about Northymbra
Q: How big are these creatures? Are they regular sized animals that can walk and talk etc or human sized? What kind of buildings do they live in?
A: I usually think of the creatures as being effectively human sized, so trees / rocks / landscape etc would appear normal sized. Obviously you can do anything you want with your own terrain, and if you'd rather have the creatures small, that's entirely up to you! They're effectively replacing the humans in the world, with the medium sized beasts being about human size; so a 6 foot tall Hare, and a 3 foot tall Mouse, rather than a 4 inch long one... We went that way because so many people already had fantasy terrain, and we figured it was best to simply scale with that, rather than force them to make / buy all new terrain. I picture a pretty much Dark Age / Medieval / Renaissance (ish) world, with animals instead of humans. I tend to think of the towns as being full of the types of timber framed buildings you see in the Shambles in York, and the countryside with a mix of stuff, including burrows in hills and riverbanks, treehouses, weird nest/house combos etc. The country towns might be anything from Saxon roundhouses through to Pride & Prejudice style stately homes. There'll also be a lot of odd stuff, like houses in trees, Hobbit hole style burrows, wizards' towers, and plenty of full-on strangeness.
Q: Do the carnivores eat other animals?
A: It's not something which really comes up in the game, but I think yes, a Wildcat would happily snack on a Mouse! After all, in real-life Britain, the biggest cause of death among moles is hungry badgers...