Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Equipment
Playing Board: The two sections are placed side by side. The board shows the heart of Mega-City One divided into 28 Sectors by black boundary lines and/or rivers.
54 Action Cards: These depict various actions and items of equipment that affect Judges in the course of crime-busting.
21 Sector Cards: These show all the Sectors on the board except the Starting Sectors and the Justice Department Hospital.
28 Perp Cards: These show the perps (Justice Department slang for criminals — 'perpetrators of crimes').
28 Crime Cards: These show the crimes that occur in the game.
6 Judge Cards: These identify players with their playing pieces.
1 Turn Start Card: This is used to identify the player who will Move first in that Game Turn.
6 Playing Pieces: These represent each player's Judge on the board.
1 Die: This is used to resolve Arrests.
1 Umpty Candy Card Album: This takes no part in the game but gives background information on the Sectors, Crimes and Perps from the comic 2000AD which features Judge Dredd. For reference, it also gives the Combat Values of the Crimes and Perps in the game.
Preparation
Punch out the cards, shuffle them in their respective packs and place them face down in a convenient position beside the board.
YOU ARE NOW READY TO START PLAYING. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT YOU PLAY AS YOU READ THE RULES WHICH ARE PRESENTED IN ORDER OF PLAY.
Starting the Game
Take a number of Judge Cards equal to the number of players less one and shuffle the Turn Start Card in among them. Deal one to each player. The players turn their card face up and place it in front of them. The player with the Turn Start Card also takes an unused Judge Card and the matching coloured playing piece.
The player with the Turn Start Card now places his/her playing piece on the board in a Starting Sector of his/her choice.
Starting Sectors
These are:
- Grand Hall of Justice (bottom left)
- Academy of Law (bottom centre)
- City Hall (centre right)
- Justice Department Armoury (top right)
- West 17 Test Labs (top left)
- Spaceport (centre top)
The next player to the left now takes his/her matching playing piece, placing it in an unoccupied Starting Sector of his/her choice; and so on until all players have placed their pieces on the board.
The player with the Turn Start Card now sets up the Crimes.
Setting Up Crimes
1: Turn the top card of the Sector Pack over and place it face up beside the Sector Pack. This is the Sector from which a Crime has been reported.
2: Place the top card of the Perp Pack face down on the board in the designated Sector. This is the Perp committing the Crime.
3: Place the top card of the Crime Pack face up on top of that Perp Card. This is the Crime being reported.
Repeat this process until there are SIX Crimes on the board.
The player with the Turn Start Card now deals SIX Action Cards face down to each player. Players may look at their cards but should keep them concealed from the other players. The Action Cards are explained in the Action Cards Sections.
THE FIRST GAME TURN IS NOW READY TO START.
The Game Turn
The Game Turn consists of two Rounds — Movement and Arrest. In the Movement Round all players move and may play Action Cards. In the Arrest Round, all players may play Action Cards and those that are able to must attempt an Arrest.
Movement Round
The player with the Turn Start Card moves first, then the player to the left, and so on round the table.
Movement Rules
A player may move his/her playing piece up to two adjacent Sectors in any direction. Sectors either side of a river are only adjacent if connected by a bridge.
Immediately a Judge enters a Sector containing a Crime, the Perp Card is turned face up.
A player may not move out of a sector in which there is a Crime unless there is another Judge in that sector able to attempt an Arrest, or he/she is 'Barneyed' — see Action Cards — Special Notes.
More than one Judge can occupy the same Sector.
Movement Example
A Judge's playing piece sits at the junction of four Sectors, one of which contains a Crime and is connected to another Sector by a bridge across a river. Movement is allowed into every adjacent Sector reached by a normal boundary — including the one containing the Crime, and the one across the river where a bridge connects them — but not across the river where no bridge connects the Sectors, and not out of the Sector containing the Crime (which would leave the Crime unattended).
Appropriate Action Cards may be played by players during the Movement Round — see Action Cards Sections.
After all players have moved, and no player wishes to play further Action Cards, the Arrest Round begins.
Arrest Round
The player with the Turn Start Card attempts an Arrest first, if able, then the player to the left and so on round the table.
Arrest Rules
A Judge in the same Sector as a Crime must attempt an Arrest.
A Judge may only attempt one Arrest each Arrest Round.
Making an Arrest
To make a successful Arrest, the Judge's total Combat Factor must be higher than that of the Perp being arrested.
Judge's Combat Factor
A Judge has a basic Combat Factor of 5 plus one die roll.
Action Cards may be played that give additional die rolls/additions/subtractions. These must be played before the die is rolled for either side.
Perp's Combat Factor
The Combat Value of the Perp is printed in red on the Perp Card. The Combat Value for the Crime being committed is also printed in red on the Crime Card. The Perp's total Combat Value is his/her own plus that of the Crime plus one die roll.
Arrest Process
All Action Cards played are placed face up in front of the Judge. There is no order and any player can play additional cards on the Judge. The Judge then totals his Combat Factor taking the cards into consideration.
Another player rolls the die for the Perp and states the Perp's total Combat Factor.
The Judge then rolls the die and states his total Combat Factor.
A Judge making a successful Arrest takes the Perp and Crime cards and places them face up beside his/her Judge Card.
If the Perp's total is higher than the Judge's, the Arrest fails and the Judge must be placed immediately in the Intensive Care Unit in the Justice Dept. Hospital Sector.
If the two totals are equal, there is a stand-off. The Judge must attempt to Arrest the Perp again next Arrest Round unless the Perp is no longer in that Sector or the Judge is somehow able to leave the Sector.
Arrest Example
A Judge (Combat Factor 5) is attempting to arrest Ice-Pick Brown (Combat Factor 7) who is Robot Smashing (4) — a total so far of 11.
The Judge plays the Sonic Cannon Card (+5) on himself and the Tweak Card for an extra die roll. Another player plays the Flabbon Card (-2) on the Judge (current Combat Factor 8 plus an extra die roll). The Judge plays the Fergee Card for another extra die roll, whereupon another player plays the East-Meg Spy Card on the Judge giving the Perp an extra die roll. The Judge then plays the Block Mania Card on himself choosing the Plasteen Riot Shield option at the bottom (+2). Nobody wishes to play any more cards on the Arrest attempt at this point. So, before the dice are rolled, the Judge's Combat Factor is 5 + 5 - 2 + 2 = 10 plus his normal die roll plus two extra die rolls. The Perp's Combat Factor is 11 plus his normal die roll plus one extra die roll.
The Perp rolls 3 and 6, — a total Combat Factor of 20.
The Judge rolls a 4, 1, and 6 for a total Combat Factor of 21. The Arrest is successful.
Two or More Crimes in a Sector
If a Judge is in a Sector containing two or more Crimes, he/she may choose which one to try and arrest.
Two or More Judges Attempting the Same Arrest
All Judges present at a Crime must attempt an Arrest. The Perp's total is decided as normal and applies to all Judges. The Judge who beats the Perp by the greatest margin makes the successful Arrest — if two or more Judges tie, the one who was at the scene of the Crime first makes the successful Arrest. All Judges who total less than the Perp's total, go immediately to Intensive Care.
After the last player has attempted his/her Arrest, the Arrest Round has ended. THAT GAME TURN ALSO ENDS.
Replenishing Cards
The player with the Turn Start Card now passes it to the player to the left.
The new player with the Turn Start Card must now:
1: Replenish the Crimes back to six, if necessary, as for Setting Up Crimes. Reshuffle and then re-use the Sector Pack when exhausted.
2: Issue players with new Action Cards.
Issuing Action Cards
At the end of Game Turn each player may be issued with one new Action Card, except as below.
Players in the following Sectors when Action Cards are issued may receive up to two: West 17 Test Lab; City Hall; Academy of Law; Justice Department Armoury.
A player in the Grand Hall of Justice Sector may receive up to SIX Action Cards.
No player may ever hold more than six Action Cards.
A player may discard Action Cards from his/her hand before being issued with new ones.
Discarded and used Action Cards are placed in a discard pile. When the stock is exhausted, the discards are shuffled and turned face down to form a new stock pile.
When all players have been issued with new Action Cards, THE NEXT GAME TURN NOW STARTS AS BEFORE.
Intensive Care Unit
The Intensive Care Unit is not part of the Justice Dept. Hospital Sector proper. Any Judge in Intensive Care, therefore, cannot Arrest any Perp in the Justice Dept. Hospital Sector (or fight an escaped alien creature there).
A player starting his/her Move in the Intensive Care Unit may only move from there into the Justice Department Hospital Sector that Movement Round.
No Action Cards, other than a Robodoc Card, may be played on a player in Intensive Care. He/she may play Action Cards on others though.
Action Cards — General Rules
Action Cards may be played by any player at any time during a Game Turn only.
A player may play an Action Card, at the appropriate time, on any player he/she chooses, even him/herself.
Most Action Cards have an 'OR' optional Action. The player who plays the Action Card states which of the two options is to take effect.
Unless stated otherwise in the Special Notes, only the option affecting Combat Factors applies on an Action Card played during the Arrest Round. If both options apply, the player playing the card decides which takes effect.
The player an Action Card is played on must read and follow the designated instructions.
Action Cards played in an Arrest attempt must be played before either side has rolled the die.
Immediately an Action Card has taken effect, it is placed on the discard pile. Those affecting Combat are not carried through to the next Arrest Round, even if there was a stand-off.
Action Cards — Special Notes
Most Action Cards are self-explanatory, but notes follow on some of the different types (the notes apply only to the main option in the card):
Miss Move — Next Move: Where any card refers to a Move it means that player's next turn in the Movement Round.
Robodoc Cards
These may be played on any Judge in Intensive Care. That Judge then leaves Intensive Care immediately, going to the Justice Dept. Hospital Sector. He/she can then Move and Arrest as normal.
Barney Cards
These may only be played during the Movement Round. The Judge it is played on must go immediately to the Sector designated by the card unless he/she is in a Quarantined Sector or plays an Action Card that has a Judge who can deal with new orders from Barney. A Judge can be 'Barneyed' out of a Sector containing a Crime. A Judge who has been 'Barneyed' may still move that Movement Round if he/she had not yet moved.
Tip Off Cards
Some of these allow a Perp (and accompanying Crime) to be moved. Normal Movement rules apply. The Perp may enter/leave/move through a Sector occupied by a Judge or another Crime.
Special Cards
Block Mania: This may be played any time in the Game Turn as long as the two Judges chosen have yet to attempt an Arrest that Game Turn. In the Arrest Round they must fight each other as for an Arrest (regardless of their location on the board). This is their Arrest attempt that Round. The beaten Judge goes to Intensive Care. They do not fight again in the event of a stand-off.
Requisition: This may be played any time during the Game Turn. Only unrevealed cards in a player's hand may be requisitioned (ie. not those he/she has just played).
Edwin Parsey: This must be played on a Judge who has just made a successful Arrest. The arrested Perp and Crime Cards are discarded and take no further part in the game.
Judge Dredd: This must be played when attempting to Arrest a Perp (not while fighting another Judge) before the die has been rolled for either side.
Quarantine: Judges in the Quarantined Sector cannot leave it by any means whatsoever until the quarantine is lifted.
Alien Creature Escapes: A Judge may move into but not out of the Sector until the creature is defeated. The creature may be placed on a Sector in which there is no Judge. Once the creature is defeated, the card is placed on the discard pile.
Benji Doonan: Steals Action Cards — not Crimes or Perps.
Outdoor Boing: Playing the Tip-Off card prevents the recipient from going to Intensive Care. Both Tip-Off and Boing card are then discarded.
End of Game
Once the last Perp Card in the Perp Pack is used up, the game will end after one complete round of Game Turns has been played — ie as soon as the Turn Start Card would be passed to the player who had it when the last Perp card was used.
The Winner
At the end of the game, each player totals the Combat Values of the Perps and Crimes (as printed in red on the cards) that he/she has arrested. The player with the highest total wins.
If two or more Judges tie, they settle it in the traditional method in Mega-City One — the Cadet's Right Rule. The Judges all place their playing pieces immediately in the Academy of Law and conduct an Arrest attempt, fighting each other. The victor wins the game.