Patrol

PATROL
The Trench Raiders
Derek Chappell
Credits
Editor
Joe McNeil, Beau LaManna
Consultants
Younghwan Choo, Eric D.
Special Thanks
Special Thanks to The Great War Youtube channel, which was
invaluable while working on this project.
Photo Credits
The sources for the art in this book were derived from the public
domain. They were sourced from Pintrest, Facebook, and Wikimedia
Commons.
Page 28 illustration CC BY 2.0 Chatham House, London.
The opium medication on page 43 came from Wellcome Images, a

website operated by the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable
foundation based in the United Kingdom.
LKI and A7V photographs from the Bundesarchiv, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE. The
modified photographs are avaliable at newstandpress.tumblr.com
Sturmpanzer Oberschlesien design originally by Salmanazar, taken

from Wikipedia.
newstandpress.tumblr.com
https://www.patreon.com/opensketch
Version 1.1
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
- John McCrae
• No-Man’s Land Encounters 19
Index
The Trench Raiders
• No-Man’s Land by Day
• Other Movement
1 • New Terrain
19
19
20
• Ruined Land 20
Introduction 2 • Deep Mud 20
• The Basics 2 • Duckboard 20
• Archetypes 3 • Frozen Mud 21
• New Battlefield Rules 3 • Skeletal Forest 21
• Bounty System 3 • Overgrown Ground 21
• Leverage 3 • Shattered Town 21
• New Content 3 • Trench Lines 22
Character Creation 4 • Trench Sections 22
• Archetypes 4 • Fighting from Trenches 23
• Choosing an Archetype 4 • Fighting in Trenches 23
• Archetype Breakdown 5 • Trench Layouts 24
• The Wire 25
• Starting Skills & Equipment 6 • Communication Trenches 25
• Attributes 6 • Dugouts 25
• Special Templates 6 • Gun Posts & Batteries 25
• Nationalities 7 • Pillboxes 25
• France 7
• United Kingdom 7 New Threats 26
• Commonwealth 7 • Chemical Warfare 26
• United States 7 • Gas Mechanics 26
• Germany 7 • Suffering Gas Attack 27
Launching Raids 8 • Early Vehicles
• Off-Roading
28
28
• Raid Basics 8 • Vehicles & No-Man’s Land 28
• Bounty & Advancement 9 • Reliability 29
• Completing Bounties 9 • Gearmen 30
Leverage & Morale 10 • Spalling 30
• Fire Arcs & Sponsons 31
• Doubt & Fatigue 10
Expanded Rules 12 Animals
• Working Dogs
32
32
• Tactical Stealth 12 • Carrier Pigeons 32
• Tracker Positions 12 • Calvary & Work Horses 32
• Growing Awareness 13 • Rats! 32
• Cooling Awareness 13
• Animals & Gas 33
• Melee Combat 14
• Choosing a Target 14
• Riding 33
• The Bayonet 14 New Skills 33
• Creeping Barrage 15 Equipment 34
The Battlefield 16 • Item Changes 34
• No-Man’s Land 16 • Issuing Items with XP 34
• Generating No-Man’s Land 16 • Generic Equipment 35
• Awareness in No-Man’s Land 17 • Wearables 36
• Crossing No-Man’s Land 17 • Armour 37
• Fighting in No-Man’s Land 17 • Firearms 38
• Pathfinding 18 • Special Weapons 41
• Pathfinding 18
• Explosives 42
• Weapon Modifications 42 • In The Front Lines 86
• Supplies 43 • Friendly Enemies 87
• The Big Push 87
• Melee Weapons 44
• Rest & Relaxation 88
• Chemical Weapons 48 • Recruitment 89
Vehicles 50 • The Home Front 89
• Civilian Car 50 Solo Play 90
• Early Transport Truck 51
• Armoured Car 52
• The Last Man 90
• The Team 90
• Heavy Armoured Car 53
• Machine-Gun Autocar 54 • Objectives 91
• Armoured Scout 55 • Gameplay 91
• Tanks 56 • Fortune 91
• British Heavy Tanks 56 Non-Player Characters 92
• British Heavy Tank (Male) 58
• British Heavy Tank (Female) 59 Alternate Templates 98
• Cavalry 98
• Heavy Tank Features 60 • Stormtroopers 99
• Steering Trailer 60 • Tankers 100
• Unditching Bar 60 • Pioneers 101
• Grenade Screen 60
• Tadpole Tail w/ Mortar 60 Timeline 102
• MKV* Conversion (MKV Only) 60 • 1914 102
• Fascine 60 • Equipment Changes 102
• Semaphore Flags 60 • Gameplay Ideas 102
• Beutepanzerwagens 61 • 1915 103
• Mark I Gun Carrier 62 • Equipment Changes 103
• Mark IX Troop Carrier 63 • 1916 103
• Medium A “Whippet” 64 • Equipment Changes 103
• Medium B 65 • 1917 104
• Schneider CA1 66 • Equipment Changes 104
• Saint-Chamond 67 • Notes 104
• Renault FT Char Mitrailleur 68
• Renault FT Char Canon 69 • 1918 105
• Char 2C 70 • Gameplay Ideas 105
• A7V 71 1919 Offensive 106
• Aircraft 72 • Play Options 106
• Single-Seat Fighter 72 • New Gear 107
• Two-Seat Attack Plane 73
• 1919 Vehicles 108
The Western Front 76 • MK VII International 108
• Why We Fight 77 • Medium C 109
• The Franco-Prussian War 78 • Leichter Kampfwagen I 110
• Prewar Tensions 79 • Leichter Kampfwagen II 111
• Wilhelminism 79 • K-Wagen 112
• What Were They Thinking? 80 • Sturmpanzerwagen 113
• Trench Warfare 82 Other Fronts 114
• Race to the Sea 82 • Italian Front 114
• Strategy of Exhaustion 82 • Royal Italian Army 114
• History of Trenches 83 • Austro-Hungarian Army 114
• Attacking a Trench 84 • Imperial Russian Army 115
• Send the Reserves 85
• Life in the Trenches 86
PATROL
The Trench Raiders
“The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall
not see them lit again in our life-time”
- Sir Edward Grey,
British Foreign Secretary, 1914
At the dawn of the 20th century, the Great Powers of Europe were
poised in a precarious balance. With vast armies fuelled by the
excesses of colonialism and the beating drum of industry standing
ready, all that stood between peace and apocalyptic conflict was a
web of alliances, intended to make any war too costly to fight. In
the words of Otto von Bismarck, it would merely take “some damned
foolish thing in the Balkans” to set it off.
That damned foolish thing occurred on 28 June, 1914, when Archduke

Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was
assassinated in Serbia. The regional matter spun out of control as
all major powers on the continent were drawn into the conflict by
their treaty obligations. They formed two power blocs; the Allied
Powers of France, Britain, Russia, and Italy, against the Central
Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.
German offensives, decades in the planning, were launched against

France in the hopes they could be knocked quickly from the war
before they mobilized, allowing the Germans to focus their war
efforts east. Though they made swift gains into French territory,
rapid-firing artillery and machine-guns bogged the war down
into mud and misery. The war turned into a years-long siege, and
trenches stretched from Belgium to the Swiss border.
Into this protracted stalemate was born a new breed of soldier.

Trench raiders, independently-minded men in small squads, would
sally forth from their lines under the cover of darkness, crossing
the sea of mud and wire in silence. They would set upon the
enemy, destroying guns, killing sentries, and seizing terrified
prisoners. As quickly as they came, they would vanish into the
night, leaving nothing but bodies and broken wire in their wake.
1
Introduction
The Trench Raiders is a standalone game running on the rules of
PATROL. It is set during the First World War, when the imperialist
ambitions and webs of alliances spread across Europe finally
led to the apocalyptic industrial war which sundered empires,
destroyed a generation, and changed the shape of the world.
Each PATROL game contains structural and mechanical changes

to adjust the tone of the game to suit both the realities and the
perception of the war it covers. Because the First World War is
furthest removed technologically from the source material, these
changes are most extensive here. The Trench Raiders examines the
war almost as a kind of fantastic fable, like those the poets and
writers who survived the conflict would compose to try to make
sense of things in the aftermath. More than any other incarnation
of this game, The Trench Raiders focuses on the internal conflicts
within a small group when presented with inhuman conditions and
the very real possibility of death.
The Trench Raiders has a much more narrow focus than the original
PATROL. Rather than attempting to give an overview of the entire
conflict and allow players to take up many roles within it, this
book focuses entirely on a single circumstance, that of trench
raiding teams on the Western Front. The Great War is a much vaster
and more complicated subject spanning multiple fronts and dozens
of nations; this game is intended to highlight just a small piece.
This isn’t a game about launching war-changing missions behind

enemy lines, breaking the stalemate of trench warfare, or
achieving ultimate victory. This is a game about surviving one
more day on the Western Front.
The Basics
The Trench Raiders takes the basic elements of PATROL and
recontextualizes them using storygame elements to create brief,
tense, and extremely lethal missions into enemy lines. The
missions characters undertake are nigh-suicidal, and they must
do whatever they need to in order to survive.
You will need a copy of the original PATROL in order to play, as most
of the rules are unchanged. However, they are many new sections
expanded to explore unique aspects of the First World War.
2
If you’re a veteran of PATROL, here is a rundown of what’s changed.
Archetypes
The Trench Raiders omits Alignments, MOSes, and traditional
advancement. Instead, characters are built from a series of
personality Archetypes, simplified character outlines which
give a jumping-off point both for their mechanical roles on the
battlefield and their natures as people. Much of the game is built
from the conflict between these Archetypes.
To make playing these Archetypes easier, the typical character

sheet has been replaced with a small playbook for each Archetype.
These can be printed separately and handed to each player.
New Battlefield Rules

There are many new hazards facing soldiers on the Western Front.
The new Pathfinding Action abstracts complex movement across no-
man’s land, adding risk to every meter. Chemical warfare rules add
the terrifying spectre of poison gas. Extended fortification rules
give life to trench lines, pillboxes, and dugouts.
Bounty System
The objective of most trench raids are the same, to sow chaos and
fear in the enemy ranks. To simulate this, players pursue Bounties;
objectives attached to each character Archetype. By achieving
Bounties, characters advance and change. Bounties encourage
players to push on to new and more dangerous circumstances, and
get themselves in over their head.
Leverage
The Trench Raiders is much more freeform than regular PATROL,
with players devising their objectives on the fly as circumstances
change. To make these operational decisions more complex, this
game uses a social currency called Leverage. Based on their
Archetypes, characters gain Leverage over one another, and use it
to compel action from their comrades.
New Content
This book is jam-packed with new weapons, equipment, vehicles,
and NPCs. From cutting-edge tanks and poison gases to deadly
improvised melee weapons and pseudo-medieval armour, the tools
of the First World War are well represented.
3
Character Creation
Creating a character works quite differently from vanilla PATROL,
with a special playbook used to generate unique characters.
Archetypes
The First World War predates much of the specialization that
would occur within the ranks of the infantry in future conflicts.
A rifleman was a rifleman, and a regiment would consist mostly of
a homogenous mass of men armed and trained similarly, with just
a few specialists attached. Elements like machine-guns or light
artillery, which today are attached organically to infantry
regiments, were at the time often entirely contained within
dedicated battalions.
Thus, in The Trench Raiders, there are no MOS or other official

player specialities. Every character starts trained and equipped
identically, an interchangeable cog in the military machine.
But these are not cogs. They are people, with their own aspirations
and characteristics. They are distinguished through the use of
personality Archetypes.
Choosing an Archetype
The first thing you must do to create a character is to choose an
Archetype. Each Archetype is given their own Playbook; a set of
character sheets that allows you to quickly reference everything
you need to know about them. It covers their capabilities,
their motivations, and their advancement paths. Print out
these Playbooks before the session, and discuss as a group what
interactions you would find interesting before selecting one.
Archetypes give a high-level direction for what kind of person

your character is, but the details and specifics are always up to
you. An Archetype might be defined as brave, or selfish, or strong,
or cowardly, but you get to decide what that means.
Each Archetype is based on animalistic stereotypes, echoing the

fable-like recounting of poets and authors after the war. Feel
free to play into this as much as you’d like; it is easy to imagine
the Rat as a small, twitchy man, the Hawk with an a aquiline nose
and slicked back hair, or the Lion with a mane of mutton chops and
a sombre dignity.
4
Archetype Breakdown
Archetypes contain a lot of information which will be new even to
veteran players of PATROL. The easiest way to think of an Archetype
is as a combination of MOS and Alignment, but it’s a little more
complex than that.
Every Archetype grants starting Skills, Attribute modifiers, and

Equipment. In addition, Archetypes offer a number of Perks. Some
of these are mandatory, but in most cases you will be selecting a
number of them from a list.
The Doubt section details what events will make this character
take Doubt. This works exactly the way it does for Alignments in
the PATROL, but all of these events will always inflict just one
Doubt at a time.
Your Bounties are personal goals that

your character will pursue. Achieving
these objectives will benefit everyone
in the raid, not just yourself, so your
team composition also defines your
objectives.
Your Despair is the behaviour your

character defaults to once they have
forfeited Doubt. It will inevitably
bring the party to ruin!
The Leverage section details how your

character gains and gives up Leverage;
a social resource which allows you
to manipulate your comrades. This
defines how your character will
relate to others.
Finally, the Advancement section

shows the options your character
has to improve and grow as the game
goes on. This section offers Perks,
Skills, newly-issued Equipment,
and other changes to your
character. Advancement is used
in place of XP-based progression.
5
Starting Skills & Equipment
The starting Skills and Equipment for trench raiders are included
in each Archetype. It is usually a variation of the following, with
some items or Skills added or removed.
Skills
Bolt-Action Rifle (Medium)
Bayonet
Sentry
Prepare Position
Equipment Weight
x1 Fatigues 2 (Negated)
x1 Footwear 2 (Negated)
x1 Steel Helmet 2
x1 Overcoat 3
x1 Load Belt 0 (+5 Capacity)
x1 Haversack 3 (+8 Capacity)
x1 Entrenching Tool 2
x1 Gas Hood 2
x1 Bolt-Action Rifle 4
x1 Bayonet 2
Total Weight 18
All characters may then take as much Spare Ammunition, Rations,

Hand Bombs, and spare Canteens as they wish. Other equipment is
often available on top of that.
Attributes
Assign 21 points between your Attributes. Your Archetype will
place modifiers atop this.
Special Templates
The default templates and rules centre around trench raiders as a
small force of infantry using night infiltration tactics, and most
of the game is based around that dynamic. The default template
will suffice for most variations on that theme.
There are a series of alternate templates on page 98, offering a

chance to play cavalrymen, tank drivers, German stormtroopers,
and so forth. These templates replace every Archetype’s default
equipment and Skills.
6
Nationalities
France
French troops are fighting for their home soil, so ignore the first
point of Doubt you would take. Replace your Bolt Action Rifles
with Lebel Rifles, unless you spend an Advance (representing the
Bethier rifle). Early in the war, you would be wearing Conspicuous
Uniforms instead of Fatigues. You can take a Machine-Rifle (See
page 107) any time you could take a Mobile Machine-Gun, but it has
Failures on 1s and 2s.
You all speak French, unless you are playing as colonial troops,
like one of the 135,000 Senegalese Tirailleurs who fought on the
Western Front.
United Kingdom
Replace your standard Bolt-Action Rifles with SMLE Rifles. Don’t
worry; it uses the same Skills as the regular Bolt-Action.
You all speak English. An interesting option might be to play

as members of a Pals Battalion, all recruited from the same
neighbourhood.
Commonwealth
The Canadians may take an automatic success on their first
Pathfinding Check, but they must carry the awful Ross Rifle,
unless they spend an Advance to trade for SMLEs. ANZAC forces all
take the Stealth Skill for free.
You would be English speakers, but you could also opt to play
French-Canadians, Indians, or another such colonial regiment.
United States
Take the Skill Shotgun (Close). Any player can opt to take a Shotgun
instead of or in addition to their rifle.
You all speak English. One of the most noted and feared units
among the American expeditionary forces was the 369th Infantry
Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters.
Germany
Regular German troops replace all their issued Hand Bombs with
Stick Grenades. You could also opt to use the Storm Trooper rules
on page 99.
7
Launching Raids
As with the base game, missions begin with a Briefing and continue
until everyone makes it home safe, or dies. As trench raiders, you
have a very specialized mission with an established structure,
which will be explored in this section.
Raid Basics
The job of trench raiders is to cross No-Man’s Land in the night,
enter the enemy trenches, and cause as much chaos and destruction
as possible before safely making it back to their own lines. The
most successful trench raids cause so much devastation that
they open the way for a successful dawn attack, but for the most
part these raids simply prevented the enemy from getting too
comfortable.
Your trench-raiding mission begins soon after nightfall.

Equipment gathered, weapons loaded, blades and faces blackened
with soot, a small group of volunteers and veterans crawl out of
the trenches and begin the dangerous journey to enemy lines.
Time
As in the original game, Turns each represent a half-hour, save for
intense close-range fighting. Trench raids need to be completed
quickly, as being stuck on the wrong side of No-Man’s Land when
the sun comes up is a death sentence.
As France is not equatorial, the length of the night depends on the

time of year. Daylight Saving is ignored for the sake of sanity.
Dawn Day Dusk Night

Spring 5:00 6:00 19:00 20:00
Summer 4:30 5:30 21:00 22:00
Autumn 5:00 6:00 19:00 20:00
Winter 6:00 7:00 17:00 18:00
Missions begin at nightfall, and will typically last until

soldiers get back to their trench, or are killed or captured. Once
safely back behind their own lines, they are debriefed and go get
some much-needed sleep.
8
Raider Squad
A trench raid usually consists of about ten men. As you probably
don’t have ten players, fill out the rest of the squad with NPCs. A
good rule of thumb should be to have as many NPCs as there are PCs.
Epilogue
The Trench Raiders does not use the Epilogue system from the basic
game. The accounts of private soldiers are not much trusted for
awarding medals, and nobody cares if you break the law as long as
you’re doing it over in the enemy trenches.
Bounty & Advancement

In place of Objectives, The Trench Raiders uses a system of goals
called Bounties. Bounties give out Advances, set rewards which
allow characters to become stronger, in place of the usual
Experience system.
Bounties are attached to Archetypes, which means that your

objectives in the enemy trench change depending on the composition
of your team. A team containing The Wolf, The Hawk, and The Lion
will launch a very different (and much more violent) mission than
one with The Hare, The Mouse, and The Dove.
Completing Bounties
Whenever the conditions set out in a Bounty are met, everyone
in the Squad gets to take 1 Advance. The player whose Bounty was
achieved gets 2 Advances.
The Bounties of dead characters still apply; you can try to

complete a few of the objectives of other characters to avenge them.
If you’d like, with GM permission, you can even port a few of these
Bounties from dead comrades into subsequent missions, to honour
the memory of the fallen.
Taking Advances
Attached to the Archetype character sheet are the Advances, in the
form of lists with checkboxes. You can take these between missions.
If an Advance is indented, you need to take the one above it first.

If there are more than one checkboxes, you need to pay that many
Advances to get it. With GM permission, you can take appropriate
Advances during the game to find equipment or pick up Skills.
9
Leverage & Morale
Among the trench raiders, rank is meaningless. Orders only count
while the officers are watching, and nobody is watching you out in
no-man’s land. You must do terrible things to survive, and others
can prey on that guilt.
Doubt & Fatigue

Doubt and Fatigue are handled somewhat differently from regular
PATROL, as the mission parameters are different. Soldiers are just
a few hundred meters from allies and safety, instead of stuck deep
in the bush surrounded by danger. Thus, Doubt is less about faith
in the cause, and more about one’s nerve.
For The Trench Raiders, Fatigue is never used; it is never tracked

and does not have any effect on characters. Instead, Doubt is given
a place of greater prominence for figuring out character morale.
Taking Doubt
Because characters do not have Alignments, they each have a unique
mechanism for taking Doubt. Each Archetype has a unique list of
conditions that give them Doubt, and they always take 1 Doubt
whenever these conditions are met. Without Fatigue, the amount of
Doubt taken is never reduced.
Despair
Whenever characters have 5 or more Doubt at a time, they give in
to Despair. Their objectives change; they no longer care about the
mission, instead focusing on a neurotic activity or behaviour.
Every Archetype playbook has a Despair section, which dictates a

behaviour or objective for that character. When a character has
5 or more Doubt, their player should behave in accordance with
this Despair state, using it as a guideline for their character’s
actions going forward.
There is no coercive mechanism in The Trench Raiders to force a

player to behave in-line with their Despair condition. It is up to
the player to decide what it means to follow these rules. Ignoring
Despair is extremely poor form. It should be considered by the
other players as desertion, and be punished accordingly.
10
Recovering Doubt
Every 12 Turns, rather than gaining Doubt, as per the regular
game, characters recover 1 Doubt, representing a slow recovery of
their nerve. Tobacco is treated as a Narcotic instead.
Leverage
Leverage is the way players manipulate one another by taking
advantage of the soft points and weaknesses in their comrades.
Gaining Leverage
Each Archetype has a Leverage section containing a number of
Conditions. When these conditions are met, Leverage is awarded
to players. Leverage is a quantifiable resource and is held over
other character specifically. For example, a player could be said
to have “2 Leverage over” another character.
Leverage persists between missions.
Using Leverage
At any time, a player who has Leverage over another player may spend
that point of Leverage to order them to perform a straightforward
task for them. “Draw their fire.”, “Cover our retreat.” or “Give me
your rifle.” are good examples.
The other player has a simple choice. Either they follow the order,
recovering 1 Doubt in the process, or they refuse, and take 1 Doubt
instead. Either way, the point of Leverage is spent.
11
Expanded Rules
A trench raiding mission involves a stealthy dash across No-Man’s
Land, desperate close combat in the confines of a trench, and an
escape across broken ground back to safety.
Tactical Stealth
Trench Raiding involves a lot of stealthy movement. In the ideal
raid, not a single shot is fired; the engagement is made entirely
at close range with spades and clubs, then you withdraw, having
taken prisoners without the enemy being any the wiser.
Of course, things don’t always go to plan. To represent this, there

is an Awareness Track, representing the overall level of alertness
among the enemy. The players may or may not be privy to the Stealth
Tracker at GM discretion.
Tracker Positions
Each position on the tracker changes the way the GM handles enemy
behaviours, as follows.
0
0 - The enemy suspect nothing. Except 11 1
for sentries and insomniacs, they are
10 2
trying to sleep.
9 3
3 - Some men in the front trenches
suspect there is something going on in 8 4
No-Man’s Land. They are loading weapons
just in case. 7 5
6
6 - The front trenches are awake and alert,
and know there is something afoot. Messengers are sent down the
line, and those still asleep awaken.
9 - The entire enemy line knows something is wrong. Men from the
support and reserve trenches move forward to reinforce. Flares
will be launched to expose infiltrators.
11 - The enemy is fully aware of the presence of infiltrators. A

full-scale counterattack is organized from the support trenches
and launched to relief the front lines.
12
Growing Awareness
There’s plenty of noise in No-Man’s Land, even at night, as artillery
usually fires a few probing shots and snipers fire at any light
sources. Soldiers eventually learn to tune out the occasional
gunshot or scream, but a real racket will still draw attention.
Advance the Awareness Tracker by 1 whenever...

• A Precision Fire shot is made in or beyond the forward trenches.
• When you speak above a whisper in No-Man’s Land.
• When Melee Combat does not end in the first round.
• A body is discovered.
• A machine-gun lets off a burst from the trenches.

• Multiple members of a unit fire in the same Turn.
• A Suppressive Fire Action is made.
• A Grenade goes off.
• A sentry is allowed to yell a warning.
• You are seen by flarelight from inside the enemy trench.

• An enemy sentry escapes, having seen you.
• A large artillery bombardment lands on the enemy position.
• The enemy are able to send a message of your presence.
• If a firefight drags on for a second turn.
• If a tank comes within 100m of the front line.
Truly massive events, like an ammo dump exploding or a tank assault

will immediately max out the tracker.
Cooling Awareness
On any Turn the Awareness Tracker does not increase, it decreases
by 1, as the enemy believe the raid has been abandoned or repulsed
and begin to return to their normal routine.
Once the tracker reaches 11, it stays there; the enemy is fully alert
and committed now, and won’t be backing down just because it’s
quieted a bit.
Though things might return to normal in the enemy ranks, front line
soldiers will not be able to shake the experience too easily. You
will find a greater proportion of awake and alert men that night,
even once the tracker returns to the starting position, and they’ll
be more willing to respond with immediate force.
13
Melee Combat
Trench Raiding involves a lot close-in fighting. Often, raiders
would carry nothing but melee weapons on their missions, as a
rifle could simply be a liability.
Choosing a Target
Because soldiers of this era were trained to expect melee combat
as a more regular occurrence, and because this game expects it,
the random target element of melee combat is not in place. The
attackers should pair off with defenders as they choose, and any
leftovers can choose who they gang up on. You can’t choose to gang
up on anyone while there are free opponents to choose from.
The Bayonet
All soldiers are armed with, and trained with, a bayonet for their
rifle. This bayonet is not like the small knife used by Vietnam-
era soldiers; it is over a foot long, and many of them even lack a
handle, making them useless as anything but a bayonet.
In order to use your Bayonet in combat, you must afix it to your

rifle first.
Fix Bayonet!
You afix the bayonet to your rifle and prepare for close combat.
Attribute Proficiency Difficulty -
Length Minor Skill -
Requirements
A firearm and bayonet.
Effects
Attach your bayonet to your weapon!
When a weapon has a bayonet attached, add +1 to the To Hit

Difficulty against enemy targets.
It was believed before the war that longer reach would be the
deciding factor in close combat. Experience rapidly disproved
that. In the trenches these bayonets, which made a weapon five
or six feet long, rapidly proved impractical. Soldiers quickly
learned that their spades, especially when sharpened, had far
greater utility, and many raiders would go to their regimental
blacksmiths to have even deadlier weapons forged.
14
Creeping Barrage
A special tactic used during assaults in the First World War, the
moving barrage has artillery pieces “walk” their fire slowly
forward, creating an oncoming sheet of fire and shrapnel. Moving
right behind this barrage would be the assault, which could catch
the survivors before they’d recovered and manned their positions.
The key to the rolling barrage is careful timing. The barrage is

advancing at a fixed rate along a fixed course, and there isn’t
any way to tell it to stop or change, not with the communication
equipment of the 1910s.
A Creeping Barrage can be ordered as a special fire order with

Spot Target, or arranged before the battle. In either case, the
guns involved with the barrage can be abstracted, as there are
presumably batteries behind the line laying down the fire. Just
figure out how far back these guns are.
Lay down a line on the field: you can do it on your physical map
with a length of string for a tactile touch. The Barrage starts at
this line and advances a fixed distance each Turn.
Everything between the start and end point of the barrage line is
hit by the barrage. Roll one instance of a standard Bombard attack
against these targets, ignoring Failures and FUBARs, from one gun
and its crew. No follow-up shots are taken.
Oftentimes, a barrage was planned to stop after a certain distance,

to prevent reinforcements. When a barrage hits the stop line, any
Units within Scatter distance, or any Units attempting to cross the
line, are struck.
This line would often be shaped to box in the enemy on three sides,
preventing reinforcement from any direction. Feel free to get
creative with your bombardment, but keep players informed of the
schedule.
Anyone advancing behind the line is protected by the rain of

shells and the wall of smoke and terror it creates. Attacks across
the bombardment line are always Blind Fire.
As shells can fall short, scatter is a risk. Units within scatter

distance of the line are struck by a bombardment on a 1 on a d6,
taking the same Bombard attack as regular targets.
15
The Battlefield
The Trench Raiders is played on a much cruder map than typical
PATROL, typically scrawled on grid paper immediately before the
game. Generating this battlefield is the first part of any Mission.
No-Man’s Land
No-Man’s Land is a blasted, directionless moonscape, with no
landmarks or navigational aids. The lay of the land shifts daily
under shelling and engineering work, forming hills, dips, and
pits of stagnant water. Roads, buildings, and forests have long
vanished under the crushing weight of artillery, leaving only
skeletal remains and collapsed foundations.
Navigating this hellish terrain is much more difficult than you

might think. Though the enemy lines might merely be a few hundred
meters distant, it is incredibly easy to lose your way, especially
when you are sticking to the low ground. Every scarred meter looks
just like any other, making it easy to get turned around, bogged
down, or even walk in circles, especially at night.
Trench raiders will need to cross this nightmarish realm, twice,

in order to successfully complete their mission. Every blasted
inch is filled with hidden dangers and opportunities.
In The Trench Raiders, everything between two opposed sets of

trenches is considered No-Man’s Land. If a trench gets captured,
the distance between it and the next enemy trench suddenly
becomes No-Man’s Land. It operates under unique rules compared to
other terrain.
Generating No-Man’s Land

The first thing you should do is determine the size of No-Man’s
Land. To do so, roll 1d6 to determine the distance between the two
front-line trenches in hundreds of meters.
Once that’s done, mark this area out on your map, drawing the two
opposed trench lines. Rather than two straight lines, add curves
or irregularities, but keep the trenches parallel and equidistant.
Draw some big circles across the map, especially in No-Man’s Land,
for zones of terrain. That’s all you need to do, as the interesting
hidden details will be determined dynamically during the game.
16
Awareness in No-Man’s Land
While you are in No-Man’s Land, the ground is treated as Obscuring,
Broken Terrain, adding +1 to To-Hit values and reducing sight
distance to one-tenth as normal. Characters outside No-Man’s Land
looking in, such as soldiers in trenches, or observers in balloons
or planes, treat No-Man’s Land as open terrain for the purposes of
sight, but still Broken Terrain for shooting.
If a character uses an Observe Action while in No-Man’s Land, they

and their unit treat No-Man’s Land as open terrain; presumably,
they climb to higher ground to get their bearings, seeing further
but exposing themselves to danger.
Crossing No-Man’s Land

While inside No-Man’s Land, the regular Movement Actions are not
used. Instead, a new action is always used whenever any person or
vehicle attempts to move in No-Man’s Land; Pathfinding.
Whenever a Unit moves, they elect one member of their number to be

the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder then uses the Pathfinding Action
(Page 18) to determine how much ground is covered and what the
consequences of moving that distance are. The entire Unit then
moves as a Regular Action.
Whenever you encounter things in No-Man’s Land, the GM should

mark them on their map. However, the GM should never show the
players this map once play has begun, unless the players manage to
find a vantage point that allows them to survey the battlefield.
Fighting in No-Man’s Land

All the regular rules for gunfights still apply in No-Man’s Land.
Units are never caught unaware in No-Man’s Land, and cannot be
ambushed; they will always be hugging terrain and doing their
best to avoid enemy fire.
17
Pathfinding
The Pathfinding Action is the system which makes every trench
raid unique and interesting. Your mission in the enemy trenches
is straightforward, but will invariably be complicated by the
things you come across on the way there.
Pathfinding
You do your best to find a safe path through the featureless
wasteland of No-Man’s Land.
Attribute Vigilance Difficulty Variable
Length Special Skill Pathfinding
Requirements
One member of the unit must roll Difficulty
while moving in No-Man’s Land. Difficulty is dependant on
Effects lighting conditions.
Choose a direction, a speed, and • 1 under daylight.
make a Vigilance Check. • 2 under flare-light.
• 3 at night.
Successes Reduce Difficulty by 1 if
For every Success equal to or you are guided, such as by
exceeding the Difficulty, the landmarks, trails, or the
entire Unit moves one Shift sound of a rolling barrage.
in your chosen direction.
Failures
For each Failure, take a -1 to the tens on your 2d6 roll for the
No-Man’s Land Encounter Table.
FUBAR
Roll twice on the Encounter Table and pick the lowest result.
If you do not pass, you become lost. Move one Shift in a random
direction. Make an Observe Action to get your bearings next
Turn, else you continue to move randomly.
Speed After you have made your
Choose a pace to make your Pathfinding Action, roll
Pathfinding Action. 2d6 on the No-Man’s Land
• Slow: Take +3 Stealth Rating. Encounter Table to choose
• Fast: +1 Difficulty. Take a a category, then 1d6 to
Half-Move instead of Shift. determine what exactly tou
Take a -3 to Stealth Rating. encounter.
18
No-Man’s Land Encounters
The No-Man’s Land Encounters Table is part of the game’s playbook,
and is rolled after every Pathfinding action. It consists of 11 1d6
tables, creating 66 possible encounters in No-Man’s Land.
No-Man’s Land by Day

The No-Man’s Land encounter tables make the assumption that the
Raiders are moving across at night, when the cover of darkness
allows soldiers to leave their trenches and move about more freely.
During the day, No-Man’s Land is a lot quieter. Anyone trapped

between the lines knows better than to stand up or move around,
because sharpshooters and machine-gunners on both sides fire
freely on any movement they spot.
When moving during the day, roll 1d6 here to get your sub-table.
Ignore failures.
Follow the Barrage
# Sub-Table Later in the war, a technique
1 Deadly Hazards called the Creeping Barrage was
developed to assist in assaults.
2 Hazards This involved precisely timed
3 Terrain Pieces artillery barrages timed to
4 Terrain Pieces land ahead of a moving force of
5 Bodies men, providing a combination of
suppression and concealment.
6 Advantages
The most useful aspect of the
rolling barrage turned out not
Other Movement to be its destructive effects,
Under rare circumstances, you but its ability to keep troops
may find reason to move using moving in the right direction.
regular rules in No-Man’s Land As long as you were following
instead of pathfinding. For the sound of explosions, you
example, players might want to were going the right way!
Charge into an enemy trench in
the final approach. As long as there is a creeping
barrage ahead of people moving
Remember that the Pathfinding towards enemy lines, lower the
rules are in place to make things difficulty of Pathfinding by 1,
interesting. If what is happening and gives a +3 bonus to the 2d6
is already interesting, feel free encounter roll.
to ignore them!
19
New Terrain
These unique terrain types apply only in No-Man’s Land.
Ruined Land
This is the “default” terrain of No-Man’s Land; a mixture of dirt,
mud, and shell-holes that has been dug up and blasted by artillery.
If you’re moving through these areas without Pathfinding, it is
Difficult Terrain 3 and Broken Ground.
Deep Mud
Mud on the Western Front could be more than a nuisance; it could
be downright dangerous. Deep Mud represents areas of mud several
feet deep, which makes movement nearly impossible and potentially
lethal.
Deep Mud adds +1 to the Difficulty of Pathfinding Checks, prevents

you from moving Fast, Charging, Fleeing, or Quick Marching, and
gives 1 Exhaustion every Turn spent moving in it. It increases
Vehicle Temperament inside the mud by 1. If you are wounded or
Push Yourself in Deep Mud, roll a Fortitude Check against Swim
Difficulty. If you fail, you drown.
Deep Mud becomes Difficult Terrain 3 and Dead Ground outside of

No-Man’s Land, but the exhaustion and drowning checks still apply.
Duckboard
As mud was so dangerous, wooden planks called duckboards were
laid at the bottom of trenches and over particularly bad ground.
The duckboards made progress easier, but had their own dangers;
the hobnailed boots of soldiers would often slip on the slick wood.
While following duckboard trails, the difficulty of Pathfinding

Checks is reduced to 0. When moving Fast, roll a d6; on a 1, you fall
from the Duckboard into the surrounding terrain. If this is Deep
Mud, take the Swim Check.
20
Frozen Mud
In the winter, the mud of No-Man’s Land could become several feet
of rock-hard ice. This made careful movement easier, but runninga
almost impossible. Reduce the difficulty of Pathfinding by 1 when
going Slow, and increase it by 1 when moving Fast.
As regular terrain, this is simply Hard Surface.
Skeletal Forest
When the front lines cut through forests, in most places the forest
lost. Trees would be shattered by artillery barrages, and within
a year the only remnants of life would be the blasted, twisted
remnants of tree trunks rising up through No-Man’s Land, and the
lumps of ground that used to be root systems.
Skeletal Forests are simply treated like Broken Ground.
Overgrown Ground
In other places, where the war was newer or quieter, the lines could
remain green, with trenches separated by a blanket of living trees.
Overgrown Land is treated like Obscuring Terrain even by

observers in the trenches, limiting the distance they can see in. It
also adds +1 to the To-Hit for soldiers inside it.
As regular terrain, Overgrown Ground becomes Obscuring Terrain.
Shattered Town
When towns got caught between the front lines, they often simply
ceased to exist in any meaningful way. Artillery and bombs
would reduce them to little more than piles of bricks and rubble,
with only chimneys and churches still identifiable as manmade
structures. They were confusing nightmares to fight or move in.
Add +2 to the To-Hit of anyone inside the area, +1 to Pathfinding

Difficulty, and reduce visibility like Obscuring Terrain.
There are no meaningful structures inside a Shattered Town.

Simply count the entire area as Broken Ground. There may be
cellars or similar which could count as defensive positions, but
most structures do not have basements, and of those that do, most
are collapsed.
21
Trench Lines
Rapid-firing artillery and machine-guns have made entrenchment
a necessity for survival. Temporarily slit-trenches have been
expended into a dense network of trench lines, two parallel
fortresses facing off across eastern France.
Trench Sections
The trenches on the Western Front were miles upon miles of
interlocking defensive lines stretching endlessly across the
French countryside.
To prevent a single shell from sending shrapnel all the way down
a trench line, trenches were built with regular angular turns,
creating a zig-zag or zipper-tooth pattern. This gives natural
breaks in the trench lines for a mechanical abstraction called
Trench Sections.
A series of trench sections on a map. Each cell represents a

trench section for the purposes of the map, while the zig-zag
show the actual trench. The thicker line is the firing step.
Each trench line is treated like a special sort of Large Structure.

Instead of Rooms, they are made of linked Trench Sections,
connected together end to end to create a wall.
A Trench Section is a 10 meter long portion of a larger trench

which acts much like a Room in a Large Structure. These Trench
Sections are treated as Defensive Positions with a Capacity of 20,
and are conjoined with other sections to
create a full trench line.
A character can
move through as
many friendly or
unoccupied Trench
Sections as their
Speed value. This
move is treated
as a March action.
22
Fighting from Trenches
Trenches are deep enough to completely protect anyone inside
from small arms fire unless they expose themselves. Characters in
a Trench who have not attacked a target outside of the Trench or
used a Sentry or Observe Action are exempt from being struck by
small arms attacks fired from outside the trench. They may still be
hit by artillery, bombs, and so forth.
Trenches are set up with a firing step on one side, but not the
other, in order to make it more difficult for attackers to turn
them around after they’ve been captured. Add +1 to To-Hit when
firing out of a Trench the wrong way to represent the difficulty of
finding a good firing position.
Characters do not need to expose themselves to throw grenades or

fire mortars, and may do so freely in any direction. However, if
they do not expose themselves, they count as firing blind.
A Trench Section only has enough room on the firing step for half
its capacity (10 soldiers) to fire out of the Trench at one time. The
other half must stay below the parapet.
Fighting in Trenches
Fighting in a Trench is resolved as Room-to-Room fighting,
in Steps. Everyone who is aware that fighting is going on can
participate.
Soldiers can attack adjacent trench sections with ranged weapons,

representing them leaning around the turn between trench
sections to fire. You are offered no cover from attacks coming from
neighbouring trench sections.
Characters may throw grenades into neighbouring sections, or

other sections within Close range. Throwing into non-adjacent
trench sections counts as firing blind.
As with regular room-to-room fighting, a Turn cannot end as long

as there are hostile forces sharing a Trench Section. They must
fight on until one side or another are driven off.
When characters in a Trench retreat, either by choice or as a

result of melee combat, they must leave the trench and run across
open ground if there is no friendly trench to move into.
23
Trench Layouts
Trenches were typically laid out in three parallel lines, 100-200
meters apart from one another.
The Front Trench sections are Level 2 Defensive Positions. They

are typically lightly occupied by sentries, a small garrison, and
machine-gunners. These trenches are not expected to withstand a
heavy assault or bombardment; they just spoil enemy attacks.
The Support Trench sections are Level 3 Defensive Positions. These

trenches are the primary defensive position, where most of the
active defenders will make their stand.
The Reserve Line, Level 4 Defensive Positions, is where the bulk of

the enemy force wait, ready to counterattack. It is also where most
of the artillery is massed, firing over the trenches in front, and
where command posts and aid stations will be set up.
German trenches were better engineered, and offer +1 Cover. After

an intense bombardment, trenches will offer -1d3 Cover.
Towards
the Enemy
The Wire
╧ ╧ Front Trench
Pillbox
Communication
╧ ╧
Trenches
Tunnel
║
Support Trench
D D
Gun Position Dugouts
╪╪
Reserve Trench
24
The Wire
10 meters in front of the first trench is the barbed wire line that
keeps enemy forces out. The night before an attack, this wire would
be moved aside to let the offensive pass through.
French trenches had deep fields of wire as their primary defence.

Increase the difficulty of the Cross Wire Check to 3.
Communication Trenches
Running between each line are Communication Trenches,
passageways which allow small groups of soldiers to move between
each line safely. Only 10 soldiers can pass down a communication
trench in one Turn; during a large counterattack, forces will have
to go over the top to charge the next trench.
The sections where the main trench lines connect with

communication lines are always heavily guarded and fortified.
Dugouts
Dug into the back of Support and Reserve Line trenches are
dugouts, underground bunkers where soldiers can sleep and wait
safely. They usually have a curtain or a wooden door, and a stove
or fire inside to ward off the cold. They are treated like regular
rooms with impassible, invincible walls.
Dugouts typically have a small chimney for ventilation. If you are

standing atop the dugout, you can drop a grenade inside. Make a
Throw Grenade Action; To-Hit is 0, and you do no collateral damage
outside the room.
Gun Posts & Batteries

Gun posts containing machine-guns, trench crossbows, and light
cannons, will have their guns fixed in position, sometimes
literally bolted down. They can only fire towards the enemy lines.
Artillery positions will consist of 1-3 guns in their own

defensive position, with ammunition stacked nearby.
Pillboxes
The Germans pioneered the use of concrete pillboxes. These Level
5 defensive positions are either attached directly in front of
or over a trench position, or connected to a trench by a Width 10
tunnel. You cannot shoot backwards out of them.
25
New Threats
The Western Front is filled with a myriad of hazards, some unique
to the theatre.
Chemical Warfare
The First World War was the dawn of a terrifying new age of
chemical warfare. Both sides used airborne poisons, released from
cylinders or carried by shells, to attempt to drive the other from
the trenches.
Gas Mechanics # Wind

Gas gets released from a source, either a 2 South
chemical shell or a pressurized cylinder, 3 Southwest
somewhere in the enemy lines. It then drifts
4 West
with the prevailing winds.
5 Calm
As with regular Patrol, wind direction should 6 Southeast
be generated periodically. Generate the 7 East
starting wind direction, and roll 2d6; the
8 Northeast
wind will change direction after that many
Turns. 9 Calm
10 West
The source of the gas will have a range; the 11 Northwest
more gas is in the container, the more it can
release and the larger an area it can saturate. 12 North
Gas will spread out to this range in a

cone with the wind and the two adjacent
intercardinal directions. In this diagram,
we see gas spread 600m in westerly wind;
everything in the grey area is affected.
During a calm, the gas will spread equally

50m in all directions directly from the
source. Gas spread will be reduced by 200m
in the rain, and suppressed in high winds.
The time gas will linger over an area is defined by the agent
itself. Usually, this is just a single Turn; the effects of the gas
are resolved once, immediately, when the gas is activated. Being
without a mask in lingering gas means you take the effects each
turn until it dissipates or you leave.
26
Suffering Gas Attack
Whenever you get exposed to
poison gas, everyone must make
the Gas! Action. This action
determines if you detect the
gas and react in time.
You can automatically succeed

this action by simply wearing
your gas hood at all times,
if you don’t mind the limited
vision, strained breathing,
and sweat.
You take double any numerical

effects from gasses if you are
Incapacitated, have 3+ wounds,
or stay in your trench. FUBARs
on Shock Checks from gas
attacks always Blind.
Gas!
You pull on your mask as soon as you detect deadly gas.
Attribute Vigilance Difficulty Variable
Length Free Skill Readiness
Effects
Make a Vigilance Check.
Successes
If you meet the difficulty, you pull your mask on without
issue. You may still be subject to secondary effects of the gas,
but you are protected from primary effects.
FUBAR
Your mask is damaged, your filter spent, or you failed to
achieve a proper seal. After this Turn, your mask is worthless,
but it will protect you this Turn if you succeeded.
If you fail to pass this Check, you receive the full effects of the
gas as listed in the agent’s profile.
If you do not have any gas protection, you automatically fail

this Check.
27
Early Vehicles
Though earlier conflicts like the American Civil War had seen the
use of armed trains, and the Crimean War had steam tractors, the
First World War saw the first widespread use of vehicles. These
early armoured cars and tanks had many teething problems.
Off-Roading
Wheeled vehicles of the era were ill-suited to off-roading; their
thin tires had high ground pressure and provided little traction,
while their underpowered engines didn’t provide the torque
necessary to climb steep slopes.
Ground vehicles without tracks have a third speed, listed last;

Off-Road Speed. The Off-Road speed applies when the vehicle
drives in No-Man’s Land or in Difficult Terrain.
Tracked vehicles do not have an Off-Road Speed. They simply use

their Combat Speed in No-Man’s Land.
Vehicles & No-Man’s Land

Vehicles moving through No-Man’s Land must make Pathfinding
Checks just like any other. Where applicable, the vehicle’s
Commander makes this Check, with the Driver simply making an
Operate Vehicle Action. Otherwise, the Driver Pathfinds as a Free
Action, at +1 Difficulty.
Vehicles move in increments of their Off-Road Speed when they

make Pathfinding Checks.
28
Reliability
Early vehicles often taxed their engine, transmission, and
suspension to the breaking point in routine operation. More
vehicles were lost to mechanical breakdown than to enemy action.
Before a vehicle is allowed to move or use any powered functions,

they must make a Reliability Check. Simply roll as many dice as
the vehicle’s Temperament. Each 1 rolled indicate a problem; the
more 1s, the worse the problem.
1 - The vehicle sputters and hitches a moment, but seems to be

holding together. Add 1 to the vehicle’s Temperament.
2 - With an awful wheezing sound, the vehicle’s engine dies. It

will take a Turn to restart.
3 - With a jolt, the engine backfires and goes silent. The vehicle
is disabled until repaired.
4 - With a terrible shriek of rent gears, the engine makes a final

pop and blows out. There’s no fix to be had on the field for this;
you’ll need to get her back to a machine shop.
5+ - It all goes terribly, terribly wrong. Perhaps a fuel line burst

over the open engine, or a piece of munitions was mishandled.
The vehicle bursts into flames, as per a FUBAR.
The Temperament of a Vehicle can be lowered back to its starting

value using the Coax Vehicle Action.
Coax Vehicle
You try to cajole your vehicle into behaving.
Attribute Vigilance Difficulty Temperament
Length Regular Action Skill Handyman
Effects
Make a Vigilance Check against the vehicle’s Temperament.
Successes
For every Success meeting or exceeding the difficulty, reduce
the Temperament by 1, down to the starting Temperament.
FUBAR
You’ve made it worse! +1 Temperament.
29
Gearmen
Many early tanks had such complex transmissions that they could
not be operated by a single person. In fact, the Mark I tank had a
driver, two gearmen, and a commander who also operated the brakes!
“Gearman” is a crew position on these early tanks. Whenever the

tank moves, they must make the following action.
Operate Gears
You do your best to manage the vehicle’s transmission.
Attribute Proficiency Difficulty 2
Length Regular Action Skill Stick Shift
Effects
Make a Proficiency Check. If this roll is failed, or not made, the
add +1 Temperment. Add an additional +1 Temperment on FUBAR.
Crew Stress
Being in an early tank is awful. The engine sits exposed in the
middle of the crew compartment, pouring exhaust fumes into the
air, and everything is cramped, heavy, and hot. There’s effectively
no suspension, so the ride is awful, and the noise is constant and
deafening.
While inside a tank, you take a point of Exhaustion and Thirst

on the 3 and 9 positions on the Roundel, as well as the 6 and 12
positions. This is in addition to the penalties you would take for
Heat Waves and Cold Snaps.
Crew inside an active tank cannot communicate verbally with one

another. They can only express simple concepts to one another with
hand signals.
Spalling
The thin, low-quality steel plating covering early tanks was less
than perfect protection. The impact of bullets, especially around
structural weak points like vision slits, would cause small metal
fragmentation to detach from the inside of the plate and ricochet
around the inside of the tank. These fragments are called Spalling.
When a tank is attacked with small arms, roll a die for every point
of Suppression. On a 1, spalling affects a crewman, inflicting one
Injury. FUBAR on Spalling shock checks always blinds the victim.
30
Fire Arcs & Sponsons
Unlike modern tanks which mount their heavy weapons on turrets
to fire in any direction, the weapons of early tanks had very
limited arcs of fire. To make up for this, they were usually studded
in multiple weapons to cover all angles.
Weapons marked with a ^ are primary weapons. Usually, this will be

a cannon embedded in the front of the vehicle. In order to attack
with these weapons, a vehicle must end its move facing the target
attacked with this weapon.
Weapons marked with a * symbol in their profiles are limited arc

guns, dotted around the vehicle. Rather than trying to keep track
of the directions the tank or the weapons are facing, there’s a
simple rule; only one of these weapons can attack any given enemy
Unit in a single turn.
Weapons marked with a “L” or “R” (for Left and Right) are sponson
weapons, mounted in a sort of turret in the side of the vehicle.
They have a 90 degree fire arc from the front of the vehicle out to
the side, like so.
Left Fire Right Fire

Arc Arc
Two opposite sponsons can still fire on the same target, providing
that the vehicle is facing directly towards that target. Otherwise,
they are limited to their fire arcs.
Remember that gunners can fire before or after the vehicle Moves,
so you could, for example, fire one sponson weapon at a target,
rotate the tank, and fire the other at the same target, while
pointing the tank elsewhere.
31
Animals
Humans were not the only creatures on the Western Front.
Working Dogs
Dogs served a variety of roles in the Western Front. Chief among
them were as messengers and rat-catchers. Dogs follow all the
regular dog rules. Having a dog in the unit gives +6 to Gas! Actions.
Carrier Pigeons
As the man-portable radio was still decades away, carrier pigeons
were the most reliable form of communication for troops on the
move. They could fly back to base, relaying messages to commanders.
You can use a pigeon to send a message, even a Spot Target Action, but
there is always a delay of one full Turn between a pigeon message
being sent and being received. This prevents any Spot Target
except Immediate Suppression and Final Defence Fire. Pigeons are
one-way; they can be used to send messages back to base, but they
can’t find troops in the field.
A Pigeon is Weight 2, and requires special items to carry. Pigeons

can be shot out of the sky with an Overwatch action as they fly home;
they are always To-Hit 4, and die after 1 Injury.
Calvary & Work Horses

Horsepower was still the primary mover of logistics and industry
on the Western Front, with most supplies being brought from
the trains by horse-drawn wagon. There were also many calvary
divisions in service, used as scouts and shock troops.
Rats!
The trenches of the Western Front had a huge rat problem; millions
of the vermin swarmed to the lines, feasting on sewage, discarded
food, detritus, and corpses. They grew fat and bold, and the hordes
crawling underfoot could eat a wounded man alive.
Although they swarm everywhere and on everything, rats are a non-

issue to healthy troops. Simply presume their presence in a scene.
They will immediately make off with any rations or similar which
are discarded or placed down; keep your food close. They will also
attack untended wounded; after 6 Turns incapacitated, rats inflict
1 Injury on the 3 and 9 o’clock positions on the Roundel.
32
Animals & Gas
As part of successful Gas! Action, animals in the unit can have
gas hoods placed on them by their human comrades to protect them
against the effects of the chemicals. Horses can only have masks
applied by their riders.
There is no way to protect pigeons from the effects of gas. If you

are gassed, any pigeons you are carrying must either be released,
or they perish.
Riding
It’s safe to assume that unless a soldier is a cavalryman, they
probably don’t know how to ride a horse properly. Anyone but
cavalrymen riding a horse will be unable to get them to make more
than a half-move.
New Skills
Each Mission begins with a Briefing, goes through a series of
Turns where characters make Actions to effect the outcome, and
Mud Rat
You’re as at home in deep mud as you are on dry cobblestone.
Applies to the Fortitude Check for Deep Mud.
Pathfinding
You’re perfectly suited for navigating the twisted ground of No-
Man’s Land.
Applies to the Fortitude Check for Deep Mud.
Readiness
You know poison gas by scent, and are always ready with your mask.
Applies to the Gas! Action.
Stick Shift
You are one of the few who can manage the dizzying complex
transmissions of a modern armoured vehicle.
Applies to the Operate Gears Action.
33
Equipment
Contained here is a full list of new equipment added for The
Trench Raiders. A great deal of equipment originally issued in the
original PATROL book is still in use here.
Item Changes
Some items are still in use between the First World War and Vietnam,
but should be changed for gameplay or historical purposes.
• Electrical Line now comes in 100m sections rather than 500m.
It still weighs the same.
• 1910s cameras weigh 2 instead of 1.
• Loudspeaker range is only 150m, as it is unpowered.
• The Bayonet is now its own item.
• Flamethrower Fuel Tanks are Weight 14.
• Anti-Tank Hand Grenades weigh 3 instead of 1.
Issuing Items with XP

The items listed here have no XP costs, as XP is not used in regular
play. If you want to play a more traditional game of PATROL set in
the First World War, the XP costs for these items are listed in the
Archetype playbook.
If you’re going to introduce other equipment from other

expansions, be mindful. A great deal of equipment wasn’t invented
yet, and others would be rarer in 1917 than 1970.
34
Generic Equipment
Gas Hood National Flag
Ranging from treated cloth The colours of your nation,
to sophisticated respirators, folded neatly.
gas hoods would protect you Type Equipment
from chemical weapons.
Weight 1
Type Equipment
Can be hoisted as a regular
Weight 1 action. Has no gameplay effect.
Protects against poison gas.
• While worn, reduce all
Swagger Stick
Attributes to 5. The badge of office for junior
• Prevents the wearer from officers and NCOs.
eating or drinking. Type Equipment
Gas Fan Weight 1
A canvas fan to shoo away While carrying a swagger
lingering clouds of gas. stick, and of appropriate
rank, those who refuse your
Type Equipment
orders when using Leverage
Weight 2 take 2 Doubt instead of 1.
Use as a regular action.
Disperses any lingering gas In Solo Play, carrying a
within 10m. Swagger Stick lets you negate
the first point of Doubt you
Pigeon Carrier would take.
A small box for holding a
carrier pigeon. Carry carefully! Signal Rocket
Type Equipment A coloured rocket, like a low-
intensity flare, used to send
Weight 1 signals.
Holds 1 Pigeon. Max 1 per
Type Equipment
person.
Weight 2
Trench Periscope Can be launched as a minor
A small set of mirrors in a action.
frame or tube. • Comes in a bundle of 3.
Type Equipment • Comes in any colour.
Weight 1 • Visible for 20 kilometres.
The meaning of the rockets
Allows Observe and Sentry can be set when launched. It
actions over the top of a is presumed these signals
trench without exposing were prearranged, even if the
yourself. meaning is specific.
35
Wearables
Load Belt Overcoat
Early leather and canvas Heavy, long wool coats were
webbing resembled their issued to every soldier of the
modern counterparts, but era. It kept out the cold, damp,
were often less comfortable or and even some of the mud.
effective. Type Wearable
Type Wearable - Webbing Weight 3
Weight - Prevents the Exhaustion
Adds +5 Carrying Capacity. effects from the Cold Snap
weather event.
Cartridge Belt
These light belts did nothing Groundsheet
but carry lots of ammunition, Rubberized or otherwise
and were used by stormtroopers waterproofed, groundsheets
and cavalrymen. were rigged as waterproof
Type Wearable - Webbing capes or shelters in the rain.
Weight - Type Wearable
Carries 6 items of 1 Weight, Weight 2
which do not count towards -1 Doubt taken from adverse
Load or Carrying Capacity. weather.
• Has no weight when worn.
Pigeon Roost Pack • Groundsheets are issued
It’s a backpack that carries a and worn for free when it
bunch of pigeons. Yes, these is raining.
were real.
Conspicuous Uniform
Type Wearable - Backpack
Not all armies had switched to
Weight 4 less garish tones before the
Carries 4 Pigeons. The birds war began. The French went
do not count towards Load or into the conflict wearing
Carrying Capacity. dark blue overcoats, with red
Medical Markers pants and hats!
Armbands, vests, or helmet Type Wearable - Clothing
covers in white and red. Weight 2
Type Wearable Fatigues.
Weight - • -2 Stealth Rating.
• Wearers are recognizable
If you wear these and are by nationality on sight at
unarmed, only a real asshole any range.
would shoot you.
36
Armour
Leather Jerkin Additional Plates
British leather vests kept out Added plates to the shoulders,
the cold and prevented getting arms, or legs would insulate
caught on the wire. the soldier against shrapnel.
Type Wearable - Armour Type Special
Weight 1 Weight 4
Body Armour. Requires a Steel Cuirass.
• 6+ Save in Melee. • +1 to Save vs shrapnel and
• +5 to Cross Wire. Melee.
Cloth Armour Reinforced Helmet
Experimental body armour Some nation’s helmets could
made from many layers of cloth be reinforced for better
could actually stop bullets! protection.
Type Wearable - Armour Type Special
Weight 3 Weight 2
Body Armour. Requires a Steel Helmet
• +5 Save vs pistol rounds. • Count your Defensive
• Always first item burnt. Position as 1 level higher.
Light Body Shield Splinter Mask
Vests with steel inserts could Many tankers wore shuttered
be worn under your coat. goggles to protect their eyes.
Type Wearable - Armour Type Wearable
Weight 4 Weight 1
Body Armour. • 3+ Save vs Spalling.
• 5+ Save vs. shrapnel and • Negates Blinded results.
pistol rounds.
Mail Armour
Steel Cuirass Chainmail was experimented
Soldiers not expected to move with, but bullets would force
around much might wear suits bits of armour into the wound!
of steel armour. Type Wearable - Armour
Type Wearable - Armour Weight 6
Weight 8 Body Armour.
Body Armour. • 5+ Save vs. melee, shrapnel
• 5+ Save vs. small arms. and pistol rounds.
• 4+ Save vs. shrapnel and in • 2 Auto Failures on Shock
Melee. Checks vs firearms.
37
Firearms
Revolver
The revolvers issued at the beginning of the war tended to be
underpowered, but highly reliable.
Type Firearm Weight 1
Close-Range Firearm capable of Precision Fire.
• Consume 1 Ammo for +1 Damage from Lethal Melee results.
• Maximum Range of Medium.
• Never jams, no attack penalty for running out of ammo.
• A Clear Action must be used to reload.
Convertible Pistol
The Mauser C96 and some other period automatic pistols were
shipped with wooden holsters that could double as stocks,
turning the weapon into an impromptu carbine.
Counts as a Pistol.
• As a Minor Action, you can convert the convertible pistol to a
Carbine, or back again.
• Uses the Pistol or Carbine Skill, as appropriate.
Cavalry Rifle
Shortened bolt-action carbines typically used the same round as
full-sized rifles, but were simply cut down for size and weight.
Long-Range Firearm capable of Suppressive and Precision Fire.
• +4 to Precision Fire.
• Treat 1s, 2s, and 3s as Failures for Follow-Up Shots.
• -2 to Suppressive Fire.
• Uses the Bolt Action Rifle Skill.
Early Battle Rifle
Representing the Mondragon and Fusil Automatique Model 1917,
these early semi-automatic rifles were effective, but often
stymied by the mud. In particular, the Mondragon was used almost
exclusively by airmen, as it jammed too much on the ground.
Type Firearms Weight 4
Medium-Range Firearm capable of Suppressive and Precision Fire.
• +2 to Suppressive Fire
• +4 to Precision Fire
On the ground, 2s count as Failures for the purposes of FUBAR.
38
Hunting Shotgun
Privately owned shotguns and fowling pieces found their way to
the front lines in numbers as a hold-out weapon.
Type Firearm - Feed Weight 2
Uses the Shotgun profile and Skill.
• Uses the Feed ammo type, so must reload after each shot.
Hunting Shotgun (Sawn-Off)
Some troops, notably Australians, cut the barrels of their
shotguns down for weight and ergonomics in the trenches.
Uses the Hunting Shotgun profile and Skill.
• Maximum Range is Close.
SMLE Rifle
The 10-round magazine and incredibly fast action of the SMLE
rifle, combined with the training of British troops, made it the
fastest rifle around. German soldiers often mistook squads of
SMLE-firing men for machine-gun posts.
Use the Bolt Action Rifle profile and Skill.
• -1 to Suppression rather than -2.
• Only treat 1s and 2s as Failures for Follow-Up Shots.
Lebel Model 1886
The obsolete Lebel rifle had a tube magazine, meaning that it had
to be reloaded one round at a time. It was also longer and heavier
than anything else in service.
• A Clear Action must be used to reload.
Ross Rifle
An straight-pull target-shooting rifle from Canada, the Ross
Rifle had many reliability problems, but was forced into
deployment for political reasons.
• +7 to Precision Fire instead of +6.
• 2s count as Failures.
• On a FUBAR of 3+ excess failures, inflicts 1d3 Injury on the user.
39
Mobile Machine-Gun
The first wave of light machine-guns were all strange devices
with complicated feed and magazine systems. Despite that, they
revolutionized mobile infantry tactics.
Long-Range Firearm capable of Suppressive Fire.
• +5 to Suppressive Fire, inflicts +1 Suppression.
• Built-in Bipod.
Breachloader
Old 19th Century rifles were used as “second line” equipment,
issued to reserve troops and non-combat units behind the lines.
Some would see action through preference or desperation.
Extreme-Range Firearm capable of Precision Fire.
• +1 Injury.
• No Follow-Up Shots.
Fires Old Cartridges.
Elephant Gun
When tanks first began to appear, the Germans responded by
shipping big game hunting rifles used in Africa to the front
lines. They were of dubious utility.
Long-Range Firearm capable of Suppressive and Precision Fire.
• At Close Range, roll a d6. On a 5+, the shot is AP 1.
• Fires Heavy Ammo.
Anti-Tank Rifle (Early)
Emerging late in the war, these massive rifles fired huge armour-
piercing rounds. The first anti-tank rifle, the T-Gewehr, weighed
40 pounds and was 5.5 feet long!
Extreme-Range Firearm capable of Precision Fire.
• At Close Range, roll a d6. On a 3+, the shot is AP 1.
• Fires Heavy Ammo, comes with built-in bipod.
Take 1 Exhaustion every time you fire this weapon.
40
Special Weapons
Manual Grenade Launcher
A variety of weapons powered by human muscle were used during
the First World War, mostly to launch grenades between trenches.
Most of these took the form slingshots, crossbows, and catapults.
Acts as a Grenade Launcher.
• Fires Hand Bombs.
• Requires a Clear Action to reload.
• Requires 2 people to reload.
• Take 1 Exhaustion to reload if reloading alone.
Grenade Crossbow
Smaller, single-person crossbows were revived in small numbers
to launch grenades across No-Man’s Land.
Acts as a Grenade Launcher.
• Fires Hand Bombs.
• Take a point of Exhaustion to reload.
Early Flamethrower
Early flamethrowers were large and complex devices with many
parts, including separate pressure and fuel tanks and a firehose-
like nozzle.
Acts as a Flamethrower.
• The Flamethrower has a 5 foot hose, so a second person in the
Unit can carry the fuel. If those two split up, both must drop
the flamethrower and tank.
Infantry Field Gun
The 1899 Hague Convention dictated that 37mm shells were the
smallest allowed to be explosive. The Entente Powers used them
for direct-fire action against German positions.
Extreme-Range Firearm capable of Blast Attacks.
• Fires Tiny Shells.
• Room for 1 Assistant.
• Extra Part: 4 Weight Tripod.
41
Explosives
Hand Bomb Jam Tin Grenade
Early grenades were heavy and Early in the war, when there
of questionable reliability. weren’t enough grenades to go
Type Grenade around, soldiers made their
own.
Weight 1
Type Grenade
Hand Grenade.
• Inflicts 1d6 Injury. Weight 1
• Inflicts 1 Suppression per Hand Grenade.
struck target. • Inflicts 1d3+1 Injury.
• Hits twice as many people • Inflicts +1 Injury inside
if thrown into a trench or structures and defensive
enclosed space. positions.
• Add 2 Automatic Failures.
Stick Grenade
German hand grenades were
more like concussion grenades
than fragmentation bombs.
Type Grenade
Weight 1
Hand Grenade.
• Inflicts 1d3+1 Injury.
• Inflicts +2 Injury inside
structures and defensive
positions.
• Ignores 1 level of Cover/
Defensive Position.
Weapon Modifications
Gun Shield Periscope Modification
Heavy steel plates attached to Guns rigged to fire remotely.
a gun to protect the operator. Type Item Modifier
Type Item Modifier Weight 2
Weight 5 Attaches to firearms.
Attaches to firearms. • Allows the weapon to be
• Offers +1 Cover to the user. fired from a trench without
• Can be detached and exposing yourself.
attached to weapons with a • Cannot be Skilled when
Minor Action. using this modifier.
42
Supplies
Armour Piercing Bullets
Special bullets, like the tool-
steel cored K Bullet, were
issued to punch through the
armour of tanks and sentries.
Type Supplies
Weight 1
Loads in small arms. Laudanum
• Roll a d6 when you attack a
A mixture of opiates and
vehicle. On a 6, the attack
alcohol, laudanum was the
counts as AP1.
premier painkiller of the 19th
• Ignores armour saves.
century. You could buy it in
Chocolate kits to send to the front line
To men on the front lines, there for a loved one.
was nothing more valuable in Type Supplies
the universe than chocolate. Weight 1
Not only was it high in vital
calories, but it lifted the When consumed...
spirits considerably. • Lasts 2d3 Turns.
• Suppresses 2 Doubt.
Type Supplies • Reduces Attributes by 2.
Weight 1
Absinthe
Consume to remove 1 Hunger
A wormwood-based alcoholic
and 1 Doubt.
beverage, the more cheaply-
Tobacco brewed absinthe of the early
Smoking was a much less 20th century could cause
common habit in the lower hallucinations. It was banned
classes at the turn of the in 1914, but the Swiss kept
century. WW1 went quite a ways producing it and selling it to
to popularizing it, and soon soldiers.
cigarettes were being shipped Type Supplies
by the millions. Weight 1
Type Supplies When consumed...
Weight 1 • Lasts 2d3 Turns.
Consume while resting to • Suppresses 1d3 Doubt.
remove 2 Doubt. Can only • Roll 1d6. On 1-2, suffer
consume once every 3 Turns. hallucinations for 1d3
Turns.
43
Melee Weapons
Bayonet
Many prewar planners clung to the idea of the bayonet as the
primary weapon of the infantry long after its lethal utility
had been overwhelmed by firearms, but it still had a place in an
assault. Raiders quickly discovered its shortcomings.
Type Melee Weapon Weight 2
When attached to a firearm...
• +Firearm Weight in Melee.
• +5 minus Firearm Weight in Melee in a trench.
• Inflicts +2 Injury if you win Melee.
If you kill a target, roll 1d6. On a 1-2, the bayonet snaps in your
target and is lost.
Can’t attach to pistol or pistol-sized weapons.

Nail Knife
The “French Nail” was a simple and cheap melee weapon, just a nail
curved into a handle on one end and sharpened on the other.
Type Melee Weapon Weight -
• +2 in Melee.
Knuckledusters
“Brass Knuckles” are a simple weapon consisting of a set of joined
metal rings. You put your fingers through the rings, make a fist,
and punch somebody in the jaw with it. The results are never
pretty.
Type Melee Weapon Weight -
• Can also be used in non-lethal melee.
Trench Knife
A thin blade and a handle protecting the knuckles makes this
combination weapon extra deadly. Later in the war, they started
incorporating knuckledusters directly onto the handle.
• +2 in Melee.
• Can also be used as Knuckledusters.
44
Infantry Sabre
British officers were ordered to send their curved swords home
in 1915, as they tended to draw enemy fire, but not all of them
listened.
• +5 in Melee.
• Inflicts +3 Ongoing Damage if you win Melee.
• Negate 2 of the user’s Failures in Melee.
Cavalry Sabre
By the First World War, Cavalry Sabres had essentially become
three foot long needles with a handle, intended to be used as
small lances. The incredible force you could put behind a thrust
would punch through most armour.
• +5 in Melee.
• +2 Injury if you win Melee.
• Reduces target Armour Saves by 1.
If you kill a target on foot, roll 1d6. On a 1-2, the sword is stuck
in your target and must be retrieved as a Regular Action.
Cavalry Lance
The cavalry of most nations still carried lances, which by this
time were all-steel. They could be deadly even on foot.
In the open...
• +8 in Melee.
• +3 Injury.
• Additional +4 and +1 Injury on Horseback.
Cannot be used inside trenches or other enclosed spaces.
Heavy Sword
Some enterprising individuals went positively medieval,
bringing heavy broadswords and claymores to the field.
• +8 to Melee.
• Negates 1 of the user’s Failures in Melee.
If you win Melee with a Heavy Sword, the enemy is dead.
45
Trench Mace
A trench mace was a deadly club, usually made by attaching a metal
item like a sprocket or empty grenade case to the end of a wooden
pole. It could easily crush a skull through a helmet.
• +5 to Melee.
Punch Knife
A very all-or-nothing weapon, a punch knife has a perpendicular
handle, so you punch it forward instead of thrusting. Deadly, but
you have to get very close...
• +4 in Melee.
• Add 1 Automatic Failure on the user in Melee.
Punch Gauntlet
To solve the very real risk involved in using a punch knife, some
were built into armoured gauntlets, so they could also be used to
defend the user.
Counts as a Punch Knife, and uses the same Skill.
• The User ignores 2 Failures in melee (the Automatic Failure
and one additional Failure)
Buckler
Small duelling shields were used by some soldiers to protect
themselves in close combat. They were often improvised from
spade heads or sheet metal.
Type Melee Weapon (special) Weight 2
Can be used in addition to a Melee Weapon.
• The user ignores 2 Failures in Melee.
Hatchet
Light one-handed axes made for excellent weapons, and were
plentiful because of their use in field work.
• +3 in Melee.
• Target counts as taking 2 more Injury for Shock Checks.
46
Heavy Axe
Large axes for lumberwork or firefighting, used infamously by
French sappers, were awkward but unquestionably dangerous.
They were also intensely frightening to see in action.
If you win Melee with a Heavy Axe, the target is dead. Inflict 3
Doubt on every enemy who witnesses the brutal act.
Fascine Knife
A short sword traditionally used by artillerymen as both a badge
of office and a utility tool, fascine knives were perfectly sized
for use in trenches.
+4 in Melee.
• Inflicts +2 Ongoing Damage if you win Melee.
Spiked Club
If you couldn’t get anything better, driving a bunch of nails
through a wooden pole would create a brutal instrument.
Counts as a Club.
• Inflicts 2 Ongoing Damage if Melee is won.
47
Chemical Weapons
Gas Cylinder
The most basic way to poison the enemy is to simply wait for the
wind to turn towards the enemy lines, then open a compressed
cylinder of the stuff and let it float towards the enemy. Of course,
the wind could easily turn...
Type Trap Weight 1
Command-Operated Trap. These are usually operated by a cable
from a distance of 10+ metres.
• 800m range.
Gas Shell
The use of gas shells had mixed results. Though a safer and
longer-range means of delivering gas, very little agent was
contained in each shell.
Type Heavy Munition Weight X
Gas Shells are fired from artillery pieces like any other. The gas
effects any units struck by the Bombard Attack. It also spreads
from the location of the original target on a hit.
• X x 10m range.
Gas Canister
A decent compromise was reached late in the war by creating
large-bore mortars which could simply launch an entire gas
cylinder into the enemy line, allowing the impact to rupture the
tank and begin the leak.
Type Special Weight 10
Gas Canisters are launched from special mortars (use the Medium
Artillery Gun profile) out to Long Range. They scatter 1d6 x 10m
in a random direction and begin spewing gas.
• 300m range.
Tear Gas
The first gas used in the war, tear gas is less lethal, but in high
concentrations can still blind or cause unconsciousness.
Type Chemical Agent Weight -
2 Difficulty. Does not linger.
Exposed victims...
• Must take a Difficulty 1 Shock Check. No Ongoing or FUBAR.
• Reduce Attributes by 1d6 for 2 Turns.
• Are blinded for 1 Turn if exposed to 2+ sources.
48
Chlorine Gas
Chlorine Gas forms a grey-green cloud, smelling like a mixture of
pepper and pineapple. The stinging gas has a metallic taste, and
it creates hydrochloric acid in your lungs and throat, burning
and choking victims. It was the first poison gas used in warfare.
Detection Difficulty 2. Lingers for 1 additional Turn.
Exposed victims...
• Take 1d6 Ongoing Damage.
• Take 2 Injury if moving.
• -1d3 Vigilance for 24 hours.
Characters who don’t have a Gas Hood but pass their Gas! Check can
minimize the effects with a damp rag, negating ongoing damage.
Phosgene Gas
The next gas used, and much more deadly, phosgene smells like
mouldy hay. The yellow-white gas is thin, almost invisible, and
though you might cough and your eyes may water, deadly effects
might not manifest for hours. You could already be dead.
Detection Difficulty 3. Does not linger.
Exposed victims...
• Must make a Shock Check against 2 Difficulty, no Ongoing.
• If they fail, take 4 incurable Ongoing Damage for 6 Turns.
Regardless of if the characters passed or failed, roll 4d6. In
that many turns, the Ongoing Damage is inflicted a second time.
Mustard Gas
Mustard gas is a dense, oily gas, brownish yellow in colouration
and smelling briefly of mustard and lilacs before you go nose-
blind. It pools in liquid puddles, poisons the ground, and it
burns to the touch, causing horrifying blisters. It might kill
you, but it’ll take weeks, and it’ll be agonizing the entire time.
Detection Difficulty 1. Lingers for 2d6 hours. (1d3 in rain)
Exposed victims...
• Make a Shock Check against 3 Difficulty.
• Take 1 automatic Ongoing Damage.
• Are at +3 Difficulty for any Medical Checks attempted on them.
• Are blinded for 1d6 Turns.
All victims, including those protected, also take 1 Ongoing
Damage as the gas burns their skin.
49
Vehicles
Civilian Car
Civilian cars were used primarily as staff vehicles for high-
ranking officers, though some were employed for runners and
scouts. They were usually unarmed, and their narrow tires had a
great deal of difficulty with mud.
Type Speed Fuel Storage
Ground 15km/250m/50m 6/5 15
Weight Temperament Armour Toughness
60 - 0 6
Driver Passengers x4
Type On Type On
Visibility - Visibility -
Capacity 15 Capacity 15
One passenger can become a gunner, armed with...

• A water-cooled machine-gun with a gun shield.
• A Mobile Machine-Gun.
50
Early Transport Truck
Though most supplies were moved by rail and horse, transport
trucks began seeing widespread use in the First World War,
moving ammunition, fuel, and soldiers. They were especially
valuable for quickly responding to enemy breakthroughs.
Ground 10km/150m/40m 4/5 5
100 - 0 8
Driver Passenger Passsengers x15

Type On Type On Type On
Visibility - Visibility - Visibility -
Capacity 20 Capacity 20 Capacity 25
Ten passenger slots can be removed in exchange for...

• An autocannon in an anti-aircraft mount.
• A Medium Mortar
• A Light Anti-Tank Cannon
• A water-cooled machine-gun with a gun shield.
One of the passengers will take over as the gunner, and the others
can act as loaders. Ammunition will be stored in empty passenger
slots.
51
Armoured Car
Armoured cars were a prewar development which never quite got
a chance to shine on the Western Front, as there was simply too
much mud to allow them to roam freely. By the time they could
once again roam free, the tank was filling some of their roles.
Ground 10km/150m/40m 3/9 20
120 1 1 5
Driver Gunner
Type In Type In
Visibility 5+ Visibility 3+
Mobile Machine-Gun
8 Spare Ammo
52
Heavy Armoured Car
While most armoured cars were fairly small machines, a few were
like rolling fortresses on a truck chassis. They were envisioned
as linebreaking machines like tanks would eventually become,
but high ground pressure means they never got a chance to shine.
Ground 8km/100m/30m 2/10 25
180 2 1 5
Driver x2 Gunners x3 Passengers

Type In Type In Type In
Visibility 5+ Visibility 3+ Visibility 0+
Med. Machine-Gun+
53
Machine-Gun Autocar
A Canadian invention, the machine-gun autocar was an armoured
truck with a pair of machine-guns mounted on the back. It
could pull up to a spot and drop the sides, instantly creating a
fortified gun position.
Ground 8km/100m/30m 2/6 15
150 1 1 5
Driver x2 Gunners x8 Passengers

Water-Cooled Machine Gun Radio Telephone
12 Spare Ammo
Though exposed, everyone On the vehicle gets 2 Damage Reduction

from the armoured plates.
54
Armoured Scout
Some armoured cars were only “armoured” in the most generous
sense, being regular cars with some reinforced plates around
certain components. This allowed them to achieve decent road
speeds, making for good patrol vehicles as the lines broke down.
Ground 15km/250m/50m 3/6 15
75 1 1 5
Driver Gunner Assistant

Med. Machine-Gun 8 Spare Ammo
Though exposed, everyone On the vehicle gets 2 Damage Reduction

from the armoured plates.
55
Tanks
Many tanks of the period came in two types; “Male” and “Female”. The
Male tanks were the linebreakers that carried heavy firepower in
the form of cannons. They were intended to engage enemy bunkers,
blow apart trench lines, and destroy enemy guns. Protecting them
were the “Female” variants, which would carry extra machine-guns
instead of cannons. With nearly all-around coverage, they could
scythe down any enemy infantry who tried to get close and disable
the tanks with bombs and grenades.
British Heavy Tanks

The most iconic tanks of the First World War were the British Heavy
Tank series, starting with the world’s first deployed combat tank.
There were five marks of British Heavy Tank total. The 3 was
exclusively used as a training tank, so only the Mark I, II, IV,
and V have mechanical profiles. Additionally, there are separate
profiles for the Mark V*, a modified V with troop transportation
capability, and the IX, a dedicated armoured troop carrier.
Apply Mark changes to the default profiles.
Mark I
MKI tanks had a steering trailer, intended to make it easier to turn.
Add the Steeering Trailer from the Heavy Tank Feature section on
page 60.
Mark II
The MKII is the default version of the tank.
Mark IV
The MKIV was the most common variant. Add +1 Armour and reduce
Temperament by 1. Additionally, add 1 Tank Feature from the Heavy
Tank Feature section on page 60.
Mark V
The most radically changed Mark, the MKV had a completely new
gearbox which could be operated by a single driver. Keep all the
changes to the MKIV. Add an additional Tank Feature, upgrade speed
to 5km/125m, and the two Gearmen become Passengers who can offer
Fire Assistance to the Machine-Gunners.
56
57
British Heavy Tank (Male)
The Male heavy tanks were the heavy hitters of the British tank
corps, with six-pound cannons to knock out bunkers and blow
apart trench lines. They were slow, unreliable, thinly armoured,
and they completely revolutionized warfare.
Ground 4km/100m 2/10 15
400 2 1 5
Commander Driver x2 Gearmen

Visibility 5 Visibility 5 Visibility -
Mobile Machine-Gun ^
x2 Gunner x2 Loaders
Type In Type In
Visibility 5 Visibility 5
Light Cannon L/R 10 HE Shell
Mobile Machine-Gun *
5 Spare Ammo
12 passengers can ride atop the tank.
58
British Heavy Tank (Female)
The Female heavy tanks had smaller sponsons with a pair of
machine-guns each. The sheer weight of firepower was sufficient
to drive away any threatening infantry and catch men who were
attempting to flee the trenches in front of the armoured drive.
Ground 4km/100m 2/10 15
400 2 1 5

x4 Gunner
Type In
Visibility 5
Capacity 20
Mobile Machine-Gun *
5 Spare Ammo
12 passengers can ride atop the tank.
59
Heavy Tank Features
Steering Trailer
The Steering Trailer makes it easier for the tank to make turns,
but it would often get bogged down in the mud. While attached, the
Steering Trailer adds +10m of movement per Turn, but increases the
Temperament penalty of Deep Mud by 1.
Unditching Bar
A wooden beam with a metal casing, the unditching bar could be
afixed to the tracks from the top of the tank, where it would roll
under the vehicle and provide a huge amount of traction. Ignore
the Temperament penalty in Deep Mud.
Grenade Screen
A sloped mesh screen which prevents grenades from resting in
contact with the roof when thrown atop the vehicle. When throwing
a grenade at this vehicle, increase the To-Hit by 2.
Tadpole Tail w/ Mortar

Allows the vehicle to cross anti-vehicle obstacles, and attaches a
Medium Mortar to the back of the vehicle. This Mortar comes with 3
open passenger slots to operate the Mortar, which can only be used
while the vehicle is stationary.
MKV* Conversion (MKV Only)

This converts the tank to a Mark V*, an extended version of the
tank intended to counter a German tactic of wide, difficult to
cross anti-armour trenches. This adds 2 more machine-gunners
with weapons to the vehicle, increases Storage to 40, and allows
crossing anti-vehicle obstacles.
Fascine
A large bundle of brushwood or a special metal frame, the fascine
can be dropped into a trench or atop an anti-vehicle obstacle to
neutralize it, allowing easy passage over it by the vehicle and
those following.
Semaphore Flags
A pair of coloured paddles on a stand which can be rearranged from
inside the tank as a Regular Action, semaphores allow the tank to
communicate with those outside. You can display 5 words per Turn.
60
Beutepanzerwagens
Literally meaning “Looted Tanks”, the Beautepanzerwagens were
captured British Heavy Tanks in German service. The Germans
managed to capture and refurbish about 40 British tanks over the
course of the war, often cannibalizing multiple tanks to kluge
together working examples.
As German’s tank program never quite caught up, the Beutepanzers

formed the majority of German tank forces. These tanks formed
four armoured companies, kept going with captured and replicated
parts. The German military even continued operating them for a
time after the war, until they were scrapped with the final terms of
the treaty of Versailles.
To prevent friendly fire, Beutepanzers were distinguished by their

paint jobs. The Germans painted large crosses on their vehicles
to distinguish them, and often repainted them in darker tones or
patterns similar to the camouflage used on their artillery pieces.
The Entente powers began likewise placing identification markers
on their own tanks, just to be sure.
The Germans increased the crew size of the Beutepanzers to twelve,

further cutting down on the already cramped conditions. On Males,
add two gunners manning the Loader’s machine-guns, and two
passengers with the Handyman and Stick Shift Skills. On Females,
add four passengers who can fire-assist for the machine-guns.
Reduce the Capacity of every position in the tanks to 15.
61
Mark I Gun Carrier
The first self-propelled artillery piece, the Mark I Gun Carrier
was paired with a detachable 6-pound gun. The breakthroughs
they were intended to accompany never manifested, so they were
instead mostly used as cargo transports.
Ground 2km/50m 2/10 500
500 2 1 5

The Gun Carrier carries a Medium Artillery Gun and its crew of 8.
This crew can load or unload the gun into a stationary position
as a collective Regular Action. Additionally, the gun can be fired
from the carrier, but add +1 to the To-Hit Difficulty.
The gun is carried in the tank’s Storage, with the remaining

given over to shells. If the gun is not carried, all 500 Weight can
be used to move cargo instead.
62
Mark IX Troop Carrier
The world’s first armoured personnel carrier, the Mark IX was
invented to allow infantry to move up with the tanks without
being exposed to machine-gun fire. It could carry an entire
platoon directly into an enemy trench.
Ground 4km/100m 2/10 15
600 2 1 5
Driver Commander Gunner

Visibility 2 Visibility 3 Visibility 3
Gearman x30 Passenger

Type In Type In
Med. Machine-Gun Med. Machine-Gun
5 Spare Ammo 5 Spare Ammo
Many of these tanks would carry Unditching Bars or other British

Heavy Tank upgrades.
63
Medium A “Whippet”
The Medium Mark A was intended to follow up on tank attacks by
quickly exploiting gaps created in the line, driving on through
to attack rear elements. Though it had some ergonomic and
technical problems, the concept was sound.
Ground 8km/200m 3/10 20
300 2 1 5
Commander Driver x2 Gunners

The Medium A carries four Mobile Machine-Guns in limited arcs.

These machine-guns can be operated by any of the crew, and they
can also be removed and used as infantry weapons. Storage is
given over to ammunition.
Though two gunners can be fit into the vehicle, usually the tank
only goes into battle with one.
The Whippet has a great deal of difficulty making turns because

of its unique engine setup. When you start your turn, choose to
either add +1 Difficulty to Pathfinding, or +1 Temperament.
64
Medium B
Put out in September 1918, the Medium B had some interesting
innovations, including a smoke screen device, but the machine
had many practical issues. It only barely saw service, and was
quickly eliminated in favour of the upcoming Medium C.
Ground 8km/200m 3/10 20
300 2 2 5
Commander Driver Gunner

Launcher w/Smoke Mobile Machine-Gun
Grenades 6 Spare Ammo
Gearman
Type In
Visibility -
Capacity 15
The Medium B’s engine compartment cannot be accessed from inside

the vehicle. Operators must be outside to make Coax Vehicle
actions, or restart after a breakdown.
65
Schneider CA1
The first French tank, developed independently to the British
examples, the Scheider CA1 was an ugly, asymmetrical vehicle
which can charitably be called a learning experience. They were
considered obsolete within a year.
Ground 4km/100m 2/6 20
300 2 1 5
Driver Gunner Loader

Light Tank Cannon (R) 12 HE Shell
x2 Gunner Gearman
Type In Type In
Visibility 3 Visibility -
Med. Machine-Gun*
5 Spare Ammo
The Schneider CA1’s cannon is built into the right side sponson.
There is no left-hand cannon. Good luck!
66
Saint-Chamond
Another ungainly French vehicle, the Saint-Chamond jutted
awkwardly over its track base, which made trench-crossing very
difficult. It was more effective on flat ground, where it was less
likely to become stuck aiming it’s oversized forward gun.
400 2 1 5
Driver Gunner Loader

Mobile Machine-Gun ^ Heavy Tank Cannon 10 HE Shells
Gearman x4 Gunners x10 Passengers

Type In Type In Type On
Mobile Machine-Gun*
On a FUBAR while pathfinding, the tank gets stuck. Roll 1d6; on a
4-6, it is stuck for 1 Turn. On a 1-3, it is stuck fast and must be
abandoned.
67
Renault FT Char Mitrailleur
While their heavier tanks struggled, French developments of
light tanks produced a work of art. The FT was light, nimble,
decently armed, and cheap. It was far and away the most-produced
tank of the war and a forerunner of modern vehicles.
150 1 1 4
Driver Gunner
Type In Type In
Mobile Machine-Gun
5 Spare Ammo
68
Renault FT Char Canon
Like the British Male and Female tanks, the FT came in two
variations. The Char Canon carried a small cannon, supporting
the more numerous machine-gun tanks. They even carried
pennants; the Char Canon blue, and the Char Mitrailleur red.
150 1 1 4
Driver Gunner
Type In Type In
Infantry Field Gun
10 HE Shells
69
Char 2C
This 70 ton monster didn’t quite make the war, but it was quite
real. Armed with a turret-mounted 75mm cannon and with an
engine so large it protruded from the hull, the Char 2C only ever
saw action in the next war, when it was profoundly obsolete.
Ground 6km/150m 1/12 35
400 2 2 5
x2 Commanders Driver Gunner

Radio Telephone Heavy Tank Cannon
Loader x4 Gunners x3 Gearmen

15 HE Shells Mobile Machine-Gun *
8 Spare Ammo
The tank is quite roomy: crew can talk freely, and ignore the
usual exhaustion and thirst penalties.
70
A7V
The German Empire rapidly fell behind in tank development.
Their only wartime tank, the A7V, was an oversized, unreliable
monster, more a fort on treads than a vehicle. Only 20 were
produced; each had their names written on the bow and rear.
700 3 1 5

Visibility 3+ Visibility 3+ Visibility -
x1 Gunner x1 Loaders x12 Gunners

Visibility 5 Visibility - Visibility 4
Light Tank Cannon^ 10 HE Shell Mobile Machine-Gun *
8 Spare Ammo
There are 6 machine-guns on the A7V; the other half of the
gunners act as assistants. All gunners are infantrymen instead of
dedicated crew. 20 men can ride atop the vehicle.
71
Aircraft
Single-Seat Fighter
The knights of the sky, single-seat fighters swirled and fought
high above the trenches in their own private war. Occasionally,
one of these planes would swoop low to strafe the ants moving
about on the ground, but it was rare.
Air 500m/20km 1/6 0
Weight Difficulty Armour Toughness
40 2 - 5
Pilot
Type On
Visibility -
Capacity 15
Med. Machine-Gun
4 Spare Ammo
72
Two-Seat Attack Plane
Before the invention of the interrupter gear, most armed military
aircraft had a pilot and a gunner. Some planes, especially
observers, retained this setup, though they sometimes dropped
the rear gun for a camera.
Air 800m/18km 1/8 2
Weight Difficulty Armour Toughness
60 2 - 5
Pilot Gunner
Type On Type On
Mobile Machine-Gun
4 Spare Ammo
An additional Medium Machine-Gun with 4 Ammo can be added to

the Pilot position.
The Gunner can attach a camera to his position.
The plane can carry 5 Tiny Bombs or 1 Small Bomb.
73
The Western Front
As the First World War recedes ever further in our cultural
consciousness, passed now from living memory, our image of the
conflict is painted in more and more simplistic terms. To the
vast majority of people who have a dim awareness of the conflict,
besides recognizing it by name, the First World War is reduced to a
set of archetypical images which have drowned out all nuance.
In this archetypical war, the family squabbles of European

royalty ignite into a pointless conflict where idiotic generals
with outdated strategies march millions of idealistic, trusting
young men Napoleonic-style into machine-guns. A generation
digs trenches into the dirt and stays there for four years,
launching pointless attacks and experimenting with poison gas
and tanks. There are sad poets and helmets with spikes on them.
Then, the Americans show up, and depending on your viewpoint
either single-handedly win the war or arrive too late to make a
difference either way.
In this narrative, the war is pointless, static, and boring.

Millions of young people died because of stupid decisions and
for stupid reasons and nothing was accomplished. Compared to the
much better received sequel, which had compelling villains and a
much higher special effects budget, The Great War is hardly worth
the name. Its legacy lies exclusively in tragic European cinema
and cool gas masks.
As is often the case, however, history is much more interesting.
76
Why We Fight
The causes of the First World War are not quite as simple as an
assassination setting off a chain reaction of defensive alliances.
While the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by the Serbian
nationalist group The Black Hand caused the war, the pressures
that caused it to spin out of control had been building for decades.
To understand how it happened, it is important to understand the

shape of the world at the turn of the last century. European powers
had colonized much of the world and developed revolutionary
technologies, but they were constantly at each other’s throats.
It is apt to see this period as an omnidirectional Cold War;
everything from industry and military strength to philosophy and
art were tools for the advancement of national power and prestige.
These nationalistic sentiments were reshaping the face of the

world, forging new nations from the fragmented states that dotted
Central Europe. Nations like Italy emerged during this period,
but it was the formation of Germany that most upset the balance of
power. Russia and Austria-Hungary, the Goalkeepers of Europe, had
their careful conservative order disrupted by the rise of a strong
state representing German-speaking peoples.
For centuries, German-speaking peoples had been spread across

dozens or hundreds of tiny states. These states were united, if
loosely, as the Holy Roman Empire, until its dissolution during
the Napoleonic Wars. Frequent and haphazard attempts were made
at uniting the German states under a series of Confederations, but
these were often powerless or quickly dissolved.
The Second French Empire realized early the threat of a united

German state. They had maintained military dominance over much of
Europe for centuries, owing to being one of first large, organized
states on the continent. However, a potential German state would
have nearly twice the population of France, and a great deal more
land. France would need to act if they wanted to maintain their
hegemony over continental Europe.
Napoleon II’s attempted to disrupt German unification by

combating the influence of the Hapsburgs, the royal family of
Austria. Instead, this lead to the rise of Prussian power. Through
a mixture of conquest and diplomacy, the Prussians formed the
North German Confederation, the first modern German state.
77
The Franco-Prussian War
The war on the Western Front was fought the way it was in large
part because of another conflict entirely, one fought almost half a
century beforehand. In the Franco-Prussian War, the French Empire
declared war on the North German Confederation and, to the shock
of everyone, lost.
The war was sparked by the candidacy of Prince Leopold, a Prussian

prince, to the Spanish throne. This would effectively surround the
France with potential enemies, which would split French forces
across two fronts, making it impossible for them to beat Prussia
in the future. If the French wanted to contain Prussian power, they
would have to move quickly.
Leopold was encouraged to take the throne by Prussian Prime

Minister Otto von Bismarck, who believed the pressure would
contain French influence and leave the Prussians free to continue
their state-building.
While the French had a strong professional army, the Prussians

rapidly mobilized a larger force of conscripted soldiers and
supported them heavily with modern artillery. The combination of
numerical and firepower superiority gave the Prussian forces a
distinct edge. French forces could still have taken the day, but the
lethargic attitude of French commanders lost them the initiative.
After a French offensive floundered at the border, the Prussians

made swift gains, occupying French territory and capturing
the Emperor himself at Sedan. They laid siege to Paris, and the
French Imperial government was soon overthrown by a Republican
revolution called the Paris Commune. With few forces and little
legitimacy, the French stood no chance of victory.
Though the French military continued to offer resistance for some

time, they surrendered after just 9 months and 3 weeks. As a result
of the war, the French territory of Alsace-Lorriane was annexed
to the newly formed German Empire, and the country was occupied
until war reparations were made.
The war was a shocking development. France, previously the leading

land power of the world, had been subdued in less than a year by an
upstart nation of pauper princes. The war had shown indisputably
the effectiveness of large conscript armies and railroad
mobilization, and saw a reorganization of European armies.
78
Prewar Tensions
As power shifted in Europe, tensions began building within
the continent over territorial disputes, racial narratives,
national identities, and colonial holdings. France in particular
developed a bitter revanchism over the loss of Alsace-Lorriane.
The expanding and shifting network of alliances that arose from
this tension was intended to maintain a balance of European power
which would dissuade any one state from feeling it could safely
launch a war against a rival. Thus, peace.
In reality, only idealists believed the alliances would do

anything but delay war. The feeling that Europe was a powderkeg
ready to explode was well-known decades before war broke out.
While the chaos in the Balkan states is what ignited the spark
of war, many powers in Europe were only too happy to put fuel on
the fire. The Triple Entente bear much of the blame, as France was
eager for a round two with the Prussians, Russia jumped to a war
footing at the first sign of crisis, and Britain was all willing to
join them, but the lion’s share of the fault for the war’s spiral out
of control falls on Germany.
Wilhelminism
The militant and autocratic German Empire had high ambitions.
Kaiser Wilhelm II was a great enthusiast for the military and
believed strongly in strengthening the powers of the monarchy
during an age where power was increasingly shifting to
representative governments. He was surrounded by generations of
Prussian military families who saw war as a way of life.
Germany was the titan of the European Continent. Economically

and industrially it seemed poised to surpass all rivals, yet her
ruling class was consumed with fears and anxieties. Between the
reviving strength of France in the west, and the seemingly endless
potential strength of Russia in the East, and the dominion of
Britain upon the waves and over the seas, the German rulers felt
themselves encircled, trapped in a steadily tightening noose of
foes and falling behind in the great game of states.
For all the colossal powers the German Empire wielded, they were
ruled by fear. They saw their position as a slowly disappearing
window of opportunity to cut themselves free of this trap before
it strangled them, and they were ready to make aggressive action.
79
The German Empire had a plan they referred to as Mitteleuropa,
a political and economic domination of central and eastern
Europe by Germany. When the Great War broke out, they drafted a
set of war aims called the Septemberprogramm, which included the
subjugation of Belgium, the creation of a Polish puppet state from
Russian territories, economically crippling France and Britain,
and creating a massive central African colony (Mittelafrika). From
that point, Germany would be expanded eastward by the ethnic
cleansing of Poles and their replacement with German colonists.
These objectives were decades in the choosing, the military and

political wheels having been set in motion before the ink was
dry on the German Empire. It would bring ultimate security to
the Second Reich, and give them an excellent base to expand from.
France and Russia would be crippled and unable to contest them,
and Britain would be forced to give up their colonial holdings
and be exiled across the English Channel.
When the Austrian Archeduke was assassinated, Germany seized on

the chance to finally launch on their grand endeavour. The German
Century was at hand!
What Were They Thinking?

German had a simple grand plan, the Schlieffen Plan, for the First
World War. They had it planned for almost a decade. In the West,
they would launch a swift attack on France through Belgium,
forcing France to quickly come to terms, much as they had during
the Franco-Prussian War. Then, Germany would be able to gang up
on Russia with Austria-Hungary, making huge territorial gains.
80
The Plan was an obsession for German High Command. The concept of
a six-week victory over their hated foe, achieved through perfect
planning and precision, perfectly suited the basis and beliefs
of the Prussian military class. It would be a glorious moment in
history, the ascension of the German way of life, and it consumed
them. There is a legend that General Schlieffen’s last words were
“Remember: Keep the right wing strong.”
The Austro-Hungarians saw a simple task of crushing Serbia, a

pathetic little nation hardly worthy of the title, and pushing over
the weakened Russia, an unstable and obsolete state. The Ottoman
Empire saw a chance to secure their independence, industrialize,
and recapture past glories.
The British and French likewise expected a swift and easy victory.
Anticipating the German attack, even foreseeing the push through
neutral Belgium, they would present a united front, crushing
them in a grand operation and forcing them to come to terms. The
upstarts wouldn’t stand a chance against two of the world’s leading
powers pooling their technological brilliance and manpower.
The war would be over by Christmas.
Russia, too, expected that by mobilizing immediately and

challenging the Central Powers, they could force them to back
down. As Russia theoretically had the largest army in the world,
they believed a show of force would show the Germans they would
no longer appease their expansionism. The war could bolster the
flagging rule of the Tsar and restore legitimacy to the throne,
reversing the humiliation of their recent defeat at the hands of
the Japanese.
Every nation going into the First World War expected an easy time
of it. Even little Serbia, staring down Austria-Hungary and its
big friend Germany, figured they could hold out until they were
rescued by the Russians. Jingoism, nationalism, honour, and
naïvety colluded to blind everyone to the reality of the war that
was about to unfold.
We see now, with the benefit of hindsight, how all these plans
were hopelessly optimistic. But at the time, none of it seemed
unreasonable to any party involved. Europe had not fought a war
among themselves since the Franco-Prussian, and they were about
to pay dearly for their lack of experience.
81
Trench Warfare
Contrary to popular belief, trench warfare as it unfolded on the
Western Front was not inevitable. The static, grinding warfare
in France and Belgium was, in fact, unique to the theatre. In the
East and other fronts, armies manoeuvred more freely and the front
frequently shifted. So what happened in France?
Race to the Sea

When German soldiers poured into eastern France in August 1914,
they made considerable initial gains, occupying a large swathe of
valuable industrialized territory and forcing French armies into
retreat. However, this advance was blunted at the First Battle of
the Marne, and subsequent counter-attacks showed a stiffening of
resistance. Both sides attempted to envelop the northern flank of
their enemy in the “Race to the Sea”, but neither was able to claim
the advantage before they ran out of room to manoeuvre.
A strange circumstance arose which was relatively unprecedented

in warfare. The two belligerents were able to garrison the entirety
of their mutual border, stretching from the Swiss border to the
ocean. After several indecisive battles along this long front, the
two sides settled in for the winter and began fortifying their
positions to resume hostilities in the spring.
Strategy of Exhaustion
Once momentum was lost, German High Command reassessed their
position. They were sitting on some of France’s most valuable land
and had occupied Belgium entirely. Making further gains into
French territory was likely possible, but it would be costly, and
might not be necessary. The purpose of the war against France was
to knock them out of the fight so the Germans could concentrate on
Russia. Locking the Western Front into a stalemate was the next
best thing, and still left the most of the German forces free to
fight in the East.
This shift in outlook was referred to as Ermattungsstrategie,

Strategy of Exhaustion, and pivoted on the gambit that France,
swept with revanchist fever, would launch unwise and hasty
offensives rather than tolerate German occupation of their land.
In this way, the Westheer could be on the defensive in the enemy’s
land, and inflict disproportionate casualties punishing Entente
offensives, thus winning the war of attrition. To this end, they
began construction of a massive series of fortifications.
82
History of Trenches
While the specific circumstances which created the static
trench lines of the Western Front were primarily strategic,
trenches themselves had emerged because of changing tactics and
technologies, and were a part of the tactics used by all sides
entering the war.
The latter 19th century had shown that increases in firepower,

especially in the lethal power of artillery, had made the
traditional dense, exposed formations of rapidly manoeuvring
infantry too vulnerable. As personal infantry weapons were not
yet rapid-firing enough to stop an enemy offensive on their
own, a method was needed that would preserve the density of
firepower needed to break a charge, without allowing the shooters
to be killed easily by enemy artillery. Digging in was a simple
solution, and by the turn of century every infantry soldier was
issued a shovel alongside their rifle.
Even then, trenches were not new. They had been used in siege
warfare for as long as there were fortifications to besiege, as they
were a vital way to more safely move men and equipment in view
of the enemy fortifications. A besieged castle would be ringed
in trenches, allowing soldiers to maintain a tight net around
the enemy fort without exposing themselves to missiles from the
defenders. These siegeworks could also be used to safely bring
artillery and other siege equipment into range, and protect them
while they battered the walls.
In this light, a not-inaccurate way to look at the situation of

the Western Front was that the Germans had built a fort stretching
across the entire front line, and France and their allies dug
trenches to besiege it.
This is reflected in their designs; French and British trenches

often appeared haphazard and temporary even after years of
use, because they were seen merely as launching points for
offensives, while German trenches were scientifically planned,
with perfect right-angle sections, and were well-constructed,
often incorporating concrete. Their dugouts were ten meters
underground, making them impervious to even the heaviest
shelling, and German soldiers slept in proper beds within them.
While Entente soldiers froze in ankle-deep mud or slept with the
rats on the floor of cramped dugouts, German fortifications often
had running water, heating, sewage systems, and electricity!
83
Attacking a Trench
Still, it must be understood that trenches were not infallible
defences. It is now popularly believed that the trenches of the First
World War were insurmountable, and that offenses launched against
them were pointless. The truth is slightly more complicated.
The Western Front was some 700 kilometres long, which meant that
garrisoning the entire length in numbers was a gargantuan task.
Even if you had a million and a half men, which was about the size
of the Westheer on any given year, you would still only have about
2,140 soldiers guarding each kilometre of trench.
Now, that might sound like a lot, but not all men can be on the front
lines at all times. Men will be sick, or lightly wounded. They can’t
all be standing guard, because there is a lot of work to be done
behind the lines to keep it all going. Finally, the men are simply
going to need a break.
When all was said and done, you at most had half that force to hold
your line, and probably far less than that. Your forward-most
trenches would be occupied by as little as a tenth of your force;
214 soldiers to a kilometre!
The attacker, on the other hand, has the advantage of concentration

of force. You don’t know where they will launch their attack,
so you must spread your forces evenly across your line, but
they can concentrate their forces, launching thousands of
men against a small area. No matter how good your defences
are, you will be overwhelmed. Fredrick Lanchester even
developed a set of differential equations in 1916 to prove it.
Even early in the war, the act of taking a trench was quite possible,
and it only grew easier as the war dragged on and everyone got
better at it. The basic tactic was simple; you quietly moved up some
reserve units, unleashed a fierce bombardment on the enemy line
to smash up their defences and force them back or underground,
and then dashed across no-man’s land and stabbed the disoriented
survivors with your bayonets. It didn’t always work, as mistimed
or undersupported attacks and improperly planned bombardments
could leave the attacking forces at the mercy of enemy guns, but it
was hardly impossible.
So why didn’t the lines move?
84
Send the Reserves
The point at which technology became an insurmountable obstacle
to the offense actually occurred here, rather than in the dash
across no-man’s land. Ultimately, the most important defensive
technology was not the machine-gun or the rapid firing cannon,
but the telephone and the railway.
After the attacker launched their offensive, they were blind to

its progress. Radio transmitter/receivers were still large, bulky
instruments carried by wagons and cars, not tools that soldiers
could bring with them, so everything the attacker did had to be
planned ahead of time. Artillery bombardments and charges had to
progress on a strict schedule, with timing down the minute of the
utmost importance. The only way to be informed how an assault was
going was by a man or beast physically carrying a message back,
which meant that attacks were incapable of rapidly adapting to
changing circumstances.
The men might easily seize the first trench, but lose the advantage
because they had to wait for the scheduled bombardment of the next
to finish rather than press the advantage. Or the first wave might
fail to gain ground, leaving the support equipment and reserves
moving behind them to be slaughtered. Initial progress wasn’t the
problem, it was the inability to relate that progress back.
By contrast, the defenders could simply pick up the telephone and

relate exactly what was happening to their commanders. A large
reserve force could arrive by train within a few hours at the front
line ready to counter-attack, with plenty of intelligence on the
size and direction of the enemy offensive to work with.
The problem was never taking the enemy’s trenches. The problem
was taking the enemy’s trenches and then holding them against
the fresh reserves coming to take them back from the exhausted,
depleted attacking force.
This kind of war was horrifically bloody for both sides. The
attacker would suffer terribly crossing no-man’s land, with men
having to cross barbed wire and minefields while under constant
fire from rifles, machine-guns, and artillery. If the attackers
seized a trench, the defender would then need to do the same, often
losing an equal number of men pressing a counter-attack. All the
while, both sides would be toiling under the weight of artillery
barrages, disease, gas attacks, snipers, and the elements.
85
Life in the Trenches
The static warfare of the Western Front lead to a unique culture
among the soldiers posted there.
In The Front Lines

Soldiers in the forward trenches had a tough time of it, especially
Allied soldiers in their distinctly ramshackle fortifications.
In the winter it was terribly cold, and in the spring filthy water
would build up around your ankles, as shelling had often destroyed
drainage. Debris and waste was simply thrown over the top of the
trench. The smell was unbearable. Mud was omnipresent.
Soldiers at the front had little to do but keep their head down and
wait for their turn in the firing line to end. Though there was
much anxiety and stress at the front, it was, all things considered,
fairly safe, so long as you weren’t involved in an offensive. Though
the enemy would throw the occasional artillery shell your way to
keep you on your toes, you were fairly well insulated. Even a near
hit would probably do little more than splatter you with mud. As
long as you didn’t make your head a target for enemy sharpshooters,
you’d probably be okay.
Mostly, soldiers at the front tried to sleep whenever it wasn’t

their turn on watch. It made the time go faster.
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Friendly Enemies
Most of the time, when soldiers were at the front, they weren’t
directly fighting with the enemy. Though the two trench lines
could be less than a hundred meters apart, the primary role of
soldiers on both sides was simply to keep an eye on one another and
be present to spoil an enemy attack. Neither side had the drive, or
the ammunition, to be constantly engaging one another.
Instead, soldiers at the front found themselves in the bizarre

circumstance of being close enough to their enemies that they
could talk with them, while not actively trying to kill one another.
In the early days of the war, there was an almost friendly attitude
between opposing soldiers, who often felt they had more in common
with each other than with their commanders.
A particularly common shared activity was music; most Europeans

shared the same canon of folk songs, so they could accompany one
another even if their words were different. Above the artillery
could rise a multilingual harmony.
Of course, this attitude was infuriating to higher command, who

could not stand this collusion with the enemy. Early trench raids
were in large part launched to end this cordial relationship, and
keep the men on a war footing.
The Big Push

For all the mythology about “going over the top”, offensives were
actually fairly rare, especially in the middle years of the war.
The British went the entire first half of 1916 without launching a
single attack on German positions.
It was difficult to mistake when an attack was going to be launched.

Fresh troops would be shipped in, lining up in the forward
trenches with clean uniforms. Ladders stacked against the edge of
the firing platform, they would advance as a mass behind a curtain
of artillery fire. Often, the men who were garrisoning the trench
before the attacking forces arrived would stay there, watching the
newcomers disappear into No-Man’s Land. It wasn’t uncommon for
them to have orders to shoot any man who attempted to turn back,
but it was equally uncommon for them to actually do so.
These attacks rarely made progress, and for days afterwards the
cries of the wounded would fill No-Man’s Land.
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Rest & Relaxation
Though the typical image of trench warfare in the First World War
imagines soldiers sitting in muddy front-line trenches for months
on end, the reality was that soldiers would only serve for a short
time at their positions. Spending more than a week at a time up
front was unusual, and during an offensive soldiers might only
spend a few hours in the forward trenches.
Instead, soldiers spent most of their time in the reserve trenches,

still within earshot of battle, but mostly not directly arranged
against the foe. There, they spent their time on manual labour tasks
like improving the trenches, moving supplies, training, and simply
waiting out the days. Boredom was omnipresent, and combating this
monotony was a considerable task.
Officers and men organized what entertainment they could. Various

military newspapers were printed and delivered to the front;
many of these were high quality, and they sometimes even printed
in colour, but their contents was usually pointless drivel and
propaganda. Where there was electricity, reserve dugouts could be
converted to small cinemas for news reels and shorts. Soldiers put
on skits for their fellows, or distracted themselves with reading.
Sport was also highly encouraged, as it kept the men fit and
aggressive. Football behind the front lines was a constant sight,
and some neighbouring units even had informal leagues. Boxing
was also quite popular, as was betting on the outcome.
Letters were hugely important to soldiers on the front. Massive

infrastructure was built to ensure letters could be quickly sent
and received by men at the front, including dedicated sorting
houses, and letters could be sent from Britain and arrive in the
hands of a Tommy in just two days. Most soldiers were literate by
this time, and those that weren’t could always get a letter written
or read by somebody who was. Families sent their soldiers care
packages, usually chocolate and cigarettes, and when winter rolled
around soldiers received home-knitted socks and scarves.
Most units were given plenty of time away from the front to
recuperate. Usually, they billeted in villages near the front, which
were often abandoned as the war neared. Sleeping in barns and empty
houses, they could often hear the artillery rumble over the hills
and see flashes from flares against the night sky, but they were safe.
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Recruitment
Most soldiers in the First World War entered service through
conscription. European nations maintained conscription even in
peacetime, so every young man was trained and served a short time
before returning to civilian life. These men were still considered
part of the reserve, and could be called back when war broke out.
After a few weeks of remedial training, they would be ready to go
into combat.
An exception was the British Empire, which began the war with a
strictly volunteer army and high recruiting standards. Though
there was a massive recruitment drive at the start of the war,
driven by patriotic fervour, it was not enough to meet the needs
of the war, and conscription was soon implemented. As recruits did
not have prior military experience, they had to be trained over a
period of three months.
One means of increasing recruitment was the Pals Battalions,

special units who were drawn up entirely from the same towns or
organizations. It was promised that if you joined a Pals Battalion,
you could serve alongside your childhood friends. Unfortunately,
this resulted in some small towns losing an entire generation when
their battalions were committed to an offensive.
Another dubious method of boosting recruitment numbers was

recruiters accepting underaged soldiers. Soldiers under 19 were
not supposed to be sent to the front, but birth certificates were
not common in the era, so it could be difficult to verify the age
of recruits. Boys as young as twelve were signed up, though most
underage recruits were quickly found out and turned away.
The Home Front

Ultimately, the war was won not on the front lines, but at home.
Though France, Britain, and even the United States entered a
war footing, converting most of their economy over to producing
material for the war effort, enough was left over to keep the people
fed and warm.
By contrast, the Central Powers were cut off by naval blockades,

and everything was given over to the war effort. Shortages were
common, and as many as a quarter-million civilians had died of
malnutrition in Germany in 1918 alone. Though they believed their
enemies to be in a similar dire state, eventually the home front
gave way, leading to Germany’s defeat.
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Solo Play
A unique way to play The Trench Raiders is as a one-player
experience, with just a single player and a GM. This form of play
can be very intimate, a very personal experience that is not
replicated in party play.
As The Trench Raiders is normally a game with intense interaction

between player characters, solo play is facilitated with a set of
special rules and a particular archetype.
The Last Man

To make solo play work, the player character uses a special
Archetype called The Last Man. This flexible archetype allows
players to build their character any way they choose, to be both a
leader and suitable protagonist.
The Last Man is deliberately rather overpowered compared to

regular protagonists. They are a heroic and tragic figure, a
young, bright-eyed subaltern who will experience the horrors of
war first-hand. Though skilled and brave, it will not be enough to
save his men, and it may not be enough to save his soul.
The Team
The Last Man is a junior officer
leading a small trench raiding
team. That teams is made up of 4-6
NPCs, selected from the Solo Play
Squad list in the playbook. Either
the GM or the player can select
these soldiers.
This team counts as battle buddies

for the main character, following
their orders under direct player
control unless the GM sees reason
to interfere. They have faith in
their leader, but not infinitely
so. They won’t stand for cowardice,
and they will squabble among
themselves without the strong hand
of a wise leader.
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Objectives
At the start of the raid, your commander sets an Expectation for
the mission; how much Bounty they expect you to gather. These
points are earned in a unique fashion in this game type.
Because there are no other players, there is no Leverage, and The

Last Man has no Bounties. Instead, each of the NPC squadmates has
a single Bounty associated with them. Every time this Bounty is
achieved, a point is recorded with that team member; you’ve won
them over a little, and they’ll talk about this aspect of the mission
as a success.
At the end of the mission, all the points on each of the team members
who made it back are converted to Advances. That means if you want
Advances for your achievements, you need to get your team back
alive!
Casualties
When you come back with a wounded soldier, you gain 1 Advance.
When you lose a soldier, you gain 2 Advances. When you yourself
have +2 Injury, you gain 2 Advances. Your commanders take these as
signs that you were bravely engaged with the enemy.
Taking Advances
The Last Man cannot advance during the game, as they only receive
their Advances at the end of a Mission.
Gameplay
Whenever the player’s Unit is struck by enemy fire, The Last Man
is only ever hit if they are alone. Otherwise, they are except
from being randomly struck, and NPC opponents never target them
directly; instead, one of the Team is hit.
Fortune
In place of Leverage, issue the player 1d3 points of Fortune at the
beginning of the Mission. The player can spend a point of Fortune
to do any of the following.
• To stay hidden when they ought to be discovered.

• To find the piece of equipment they need after a Search check.
• To negate 1 incoming point of Injury for their character.
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Non-Player Characters
The combatants on the Western Front used broadly similar
equipment, so the same NPC profiles apply to all of them.
Front-Line Soldier
A private soldier, probably Fort. Vigil. Prof.
conscripted, waiting out the
war in a damp trench. 7 7 7
Skills
Guard, Bayonet, Bolt-Action (Medium), Prepare Position
Equipment
A Bolt-Action Rifle, Helmet, Load Belt, Fatigues, Entrenching
Tool, Footwear, 6 Spare Ammo, Gas Hood, and an Overcoat.
Behaviour
These soldiers will mostly stay in their trenches, keeping their
heads down until ordered otherwise. At night, or under intense
bombardment, they will retreat to dugouts.
If flanked or convinced of a larger enemy force, they will likely

surrender. Likewise, they will sooner call for an enemy to
surrender than engage them if they feel they can.
Trench Sentry
A man in a full set of heavy Fort. Vigil. Prof.
steel armour, fighting off sleep
behind a machine-gun. 7 7 7
Skills
Soldier Skills, Water-Cooled Machine-Gun (Close, Medium, Long)
Equipment
Standard soldier kit, plus a Steel Cuirass, Additional Plates, a
Reinforced Helmet and Splinter Goggles.
Behaviour
Sentries will man machine-gun posts or watch stations in short
shifts of four to six hours, scanning No-Man’s Land for signs of
movement. They will take off their heavy armour at the ends of
their shifts and go back to being a regular line soldier.
Sentries will open fire at any approaching soldiers, hoping to

suppress or drive them away. They only raise the alarm if they
believe a large attack is incoming, as a false alarm could expose
soldiers to artillery.
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Junior Infantry Officer
A young officer, the idealism Fort. Vigil. Prof.
not yet worn off, attending to
the needs of his men. 7 8 6
Skills
Pistol (Close), Eagle-Eyed
Equipment
An officer’s uniform, a whistle, and a revolver. Early in the war,
a sword. Late in the war, infantry officers began dressing like
their troops during offensives. They may even carry a rifle and
remove their rank insignia.
Behaviour
Junior Officers will probably be trying to get some sleep at
night, and will patrol the trenches during the day, dealing with
minor issues.
If awoken by a raid, Junior Officers will immediately rush

to take control of the situation. They’ll try to get their men
organized and gather as much information as possible, and they
will personally lead counter-attacks.
Young officers are beloved by their men, who will protect them
at all costs. If they are wounded, soldiers will drop everything
to get them to safety, and will often redouble their efforts to
protect or avenge them.
Sniper
A quiet sharpshooter, adjusting Fort. Vigil. Prof.
his sights carefully and
waiting for the perfect moment. 7 8 9
Skills
Soldier Skills, Bolt-Action (Long, Extreme)
Equipment
Standard equipment. They may have a camouflaged blind, and a
small number will have telescopic sights.
Behaviour
Snipers will wait in firing posts in the trenches, or sometimes
foxholes or posts in No-Man’s Land, looking for opportune
targets. They will often keep an Overwatch Action to shoot anyone
who pokes their head over the top of the trench, or else they will
wait for a high-value target like a machine-gunner, officer, or
enemy sniper.
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Field Engineer
A soldier, weighed down with Fort. Vigil. Prof.
engineering gear, streaked
with mud and soot. 7 8 7
Skills
Guard, Hand Grenade, Bolt-Action (Medium), Prepare Position,
Handyman, Trapper, Explosives
Equipment
Infantry equipment, plus whatever specialized tools they need
for their current task.
Behaviour
Field Engineers move into No-Man’s Land to perform specific
tasks, usually under guard by several infantrymen. They will
attempt to remain out of sight, and run rather than engage.
Stretcher Bearer
An unarmed soldier with white Fort. Vigil. Prof.
armbands, hunting for the
wounded in the mud. 7 7 7
Skills
Soldier Skills, Water-Cooled Machine-Gun (Close, Medium, Long)
Equipment
Standard soldier kit, but without weapons or ammunition. Teams
will carry medical gear and stretchers.
Behaviour
Stretcher Bearers will wander through no-man’s land at night,
looking for anyone who still shows signs of life and attempting
to get them back. Though usually under orders not to treat enemy
soldiers, they will often ignore these orders.
Artilleryman
Shirtless, this soldier is Fort. Vigil. Prof.
loading new shells. His ears
are still ringing. 7 7 7
Skills
Soldier Skills, plus skills for their artillery piece.
Equipment
Standard soldier kit. On hot days, they will be wearing nothing
but their trousers and boots.
Behaviour
Artillerymen live and sleep by their weapon, and will try to keep
it firing until they are ordered to retreat. They usually do not
have weapons nearby to defend themselves.
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Raider
Face blackened with cork, this Fort. Vigil. Prof.
silent killer creeps across no-
man’s land to the enemy trench. 8 8 8
Skills
Soldier skills, plus Melee (Entrenching Tool).
Equipment
Infantry equipment, plus various melee weapons and pistols.
Behaviour
Trench raiders do exactly what the players do. They will always
prefer to fight silently and up close if they can.
Tank Crewman
Wrapped in a thick boiler suit Fort. Vigil. Prof.
and a chainmail mask, coughing
from petrol fumes. 7 7 7
Skills
Drive (tank), Stick Shift, Pathfinding, or a weapon skill.
Equipment
A boiler suit, boots, and a splinter mask. Some may have a pistol.
Behaviour
While operating their tank, they will attempt to push over enemy
positions, overrunning them with the bulk of their vehicle and
cutting them down as they flee. If their tank breaks down in sight
of the enemy, they will often abandon their vehicle. They have no
desire to fight or be captured, and will make themselves scarce as
fast as possible.
Pilot
A dashing figure in a leather Fort. Vigil. Prof.
suit, oil-streaked goggles, and
a long silk scarf. 6 8 9
Skills
Pilot (vehicle)
Equipment
A revolver and cold-weather gear.
Behaviour
Pilots who are shot down will have little time for ground troops,
even as they rely on them for protection. They will be arrogant,
annoying, presumptuous, and generally shitty people.
The NPC soldiers will idolize them.
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Senior Officer
You can tell he’s important Fort. Vigil. Prof.
because he hasn’t got mud all
over him. 5 9 6
Skills
No relevant skills.
Equipment
A snazzy uniform and shiny books. A swagger stick.
Behaviour
Seniors officers often tour near the front to be “close to the
action”, even when it is wildly unsafe. They may even attempt to
rush out to engage a raid!
Runner
A sprightly soldier, quick on Fort. Vigil. Prof.
his feet, nervously looking for
an exit. 8 7 7
Skills
Infantry skills, plus Fleet-Footed.
Equipment
Infantry equipment. They will usually carry less than their
peers.
Behaviour
Runners usually fight as private soldiers, but are always
standing by to move orders. They will set off on the fastest path
they can, often sprinting in the open at night.
Nurse
A woman in a blood-soaked Fort. Vigil. Prof.
uniform, moving between the
rows of wounded. 5 9 1
Skills
Stem Bleeding, Trauma Care, and Medicine
Equipment
A nurse’s uniform and medical tools. Their boots are too flimsy to
count as military footwear.
Behaviour
Field nurses will often be positioned in the rear-line trenches,
helping to sort and tend to the wounded. They will avoid direct
action and be sent farther back by the officers if in danger, but
they will refuse to leave their patients. Attacking enemy nurses
is probably the least-honourable thing a soldier could do.
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Cavalryman
A proud soldier on horseback, a Fort. Vigil. Prof.
shining sword at his side and a
short rifle in his saddle. 7 7 7
Skills
Bolt-Action (Medium), Melee (Cavalry Sword, Lance)
Equipment
A uniform and boots, cartridge belt, a cavalry sword, and a
cavalry rifle. Late in the war, a gas mask for themselves and their
horse. They may carry a lance and wear a Steel Cuirass.
Behaviour
Cavalrymen will usually be moving behind the lines most of the
time, but may join a counter-offensive. During a larger offensive,
cavalry will attempt to capitalize on weak points in the line and
run down enemy gunners.
Obviously, the cavalryman has a horse!

Stormtrooper
Lightly equipped but heavily Fort. Vigil. Prof.
armed, this German is chomping
at the bit to get stuck in. 9 8 8
Skills
Soldier skills, plus Bolt-Action (Close), SMG (Close) and Hand
Grenade.
Equipment
The basic elements of infantry equipment, with a cartridge belt.
They will be armed with SMGs and extended-magazine cavalry
rifles, and will carry large numbers of grenades.
Behaviour
Stormtroopers will act like trench raiders in most ways when
engaged in patrols and raids. When engaged in a larger assault,
stormtroopers will move up behind an artillery barrage,
throwing grenades and following up with an immediate charge to
make good use of their automatic weapons. They will keep pushing
until they are out of enemies or ammunition.
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Alternate Templates
Here’s some other ways of playing the game. Simply replace the
default Equipment and Skill list for all characters with these.
Cavalry
The First World War was not the last war to see large-scale use
of cavalry; the last large-scale cavalry charges wouldn’t occur
until 1941, and horses remain in service today for special forces
and some military police. Still, in many ways the Western Front
was the last hurrah for traditional European cavalry units.
Early in the war, before the trench lines became stagnant, the
cavalry were particularly important, serving as scouts and
raiders in the still-mobile conflict. A cavalry mission in late
1914 could easily be represented by the same framework that covers
a trench raid in 1917, but with a larger field to play with.
Skills
Bolt-Action Rifle (Medium)
Melee (Cavalry Sabre, Lance)
Guard
Equipment Weight
x1 Steel Helmet 2
x1 Cartridge Belt 0
x2 Gas Hood 4
x1 Cavalry Rifle 3
Total Weight 9
Depending on the unit, you would either be issued sabres or lances,

but you can opt for a mixture, or to take both for an Advance.
Obviously, every member of the unit gets a horse. You second gas
mask is for your mount.
Some common sense should be used in restricting the gear of

horsemen. It’s unlikely that a machine-gun would be fired from
horseback! As a compromise, you could have one or two members of
the unit working a tachanka, a horse-drawn wagon with a full-
sized machine-gun pointing out the back.
98
Stormtroopers
In 1918, a new breed of soldier emerged in the German Army. Based
on tactics used by the Russians on the Eastern Front, and built
out of the Jager and Pioneer divisions of the German Army, the
Sturmtruppen were specially trained in infiltration and rapid
assault. Essentially, they used trench raiding tactics on a large
scale to force their way into Entente lines, capturing guns and
command posts to let regular forces move in.
To achieve these ends, stormtroopers were armed with the latest

equipment and extensively trained in small unit tactics and close
combat. A stormtrooper had to be under 25, unmarried, and they had
to value aggression, initiative, and athleticism.
The elite of the German Army, stormtroopers soon gained a strong

reputation both among allies and enemies. Their breaks with
Prussian military tradition and highly aggressive culture was a
breeding ground for what would, after the war, become the core of
Germany’s fascist movement.
Skills
Bolt-Action Rifle (Close, Medium)
Submachine-Gun (Close)
Melee (Entrenching Tool)
Hand Grenade
Bloodlust
Equipment Weight
x1 Steel Helmet 2
x1 Cartridge Belt 0
x1 Entrenching Tool 2
x1 Gas Hood 2
x1 Pistol 1
Total Weight 7
Choose between either a Submachine-gun or a Cavalry Rifle with

extended magazine. You could also opt not to take a primary weapon
at all, and simply carry a lot of grenades!
You have the Cross-Trained Trait: You always have the Enemy
Equipment Skill for any equipment they are Skilled with.
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Tankers
Tanks were very experimental during the First World War, and the
specifics of their use were not yet ironed out. Though most uses
of the vehicles were in large numbers in grand assaults, small
numbers of tanks were also used to support more minor operations.
A squadron of two or three vehicles could still throw the enemy
line into disarray, and so could easily be a suitable basis for a
game of The Trench Raiders.
A good example of the sort of play you could achieve with a tank
comes from the historical incident of Whippet #344, “Musical Box”.
On 8th August, 1918, Musical Box became separated from a larger
tank unit during an assault. Finding themselves behind enemy
lines after a flanking manoeuvre, they went on a nine-hour rampage
through the German logistical train, destroying an observation
balloon, shooting up a supply convoy, and scattering a battalion
of infantry, before finally being disabled by artillery fire.
As tankers are so substantially different from regular trench

raiders, the same Advances and Equipment don’t make a great deal
of sense. Separate playsheets for tankers are available, with
different equipment, skills, and advances.
The players should pick their vehicles before the game starts,
giving them serial numbers and names. Ask them for more details
about their vehicles, such as how they are painted or if there is
any artwork on the sides.
You should fill out all the important positions where characters
get to make significant decisions, like commanders, drivers, and
primary gunners, and then have NPCs perform the remaining tasks.
Playing a single tank crew would make for a claustrophobic and
desperate game, but two might be better, as it unlocks greater
tactical options and allows one tank to be knocked out without
ending the game.
Feel free to bend the rules of tank creation and customizing to

make things more interesting. Though obviously an A7V tank
wouldn’t have a tadpole tail with a mortar, if the players want it,
there might be a way to justify it, such as a mortar on a trailer.
Likewise, just about any combination of vehicles is acceptable,
even if they served in different armies; you could have them be a
multinational squadron, or simply ignore the logistics of it.
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Pioneers
Pioneers are special units tasked with providing engineering
support to units on the move. This includes supervising the
construction of trenches and other defences, placing mines and
barbed wire, and helping open holes in enemy defences by bridging
ditches and destroying obstacles. They are also tasked with
operating unusual equipment like flamethrowers.
As pioneers engaged in a lot of dangerous work accompanying

assaults, it was soon realized they made for fairly good assault
troops themselves. Many of the early shock trooper units and
raiders were formed from pioneers.
As part of a pioneer unit, everyone should take one of the following

Skills in addition to their other skills.
• Handyman
• Trapper
• Defuse
• Explosives
• Camouflage
• Drive (Truck)
Soldiers can take Blast Mines as free equipment, and every soldier
should be issued a hatchet. They should be given specific and
dangerous tasks on the field, like clearing mines at night.
101
Timeline
Just as PATROL is set during a nebulous, archetypical period
of the Vietnam War, The Trench Raiders doesn’t have a specific
chronological setting. For the sake of interesting and diverse
gameplay, it draws from the most iconic imagery of the second
half of the war, from tanks to gas masks, while treating the trench
systems as they were slightly earlier in the war.
If you want to set the game more concretely in a period during the
war, you can use the rules here.
1914
The first six months of the war were primarily mobile and based
around large actions; The Trench Raiders is not well suited to
covering these circumstances. The war settled into trenches by the
winter, and the first trench raids began soon after.
Equipment Changes
• Do not issue Gas Hoods or Steel Helmets to any character.
• All officers carry Infantry Sabres.
• There are no tanks or poison gas in use.
• Creeping barrages have not yet been developed.
• The following equipment is not available:
• Hand Bombs and Stick Grenades.
• Any kind of steel armour.
• Mobile Machine-Guns.
• Submachine-guns.
• Flamethrowers and anti-tank rifles.
Gameplay Ideas
• Emphasize that it is early days for the conflict. The ground is
mostly level and untouched, German trenches are still under
construction, and everyone is still just getting used to the idea
that the war might not be over by Christmas.
• The Indian Corps were the first to launch trench raids, so they
make obvious protagonists.
• Instead of trench raiders, it might make more sense to play as
cavalrymen, who served a similar purpose in mobile warfare.
• Your soldiers would be innovators, engaging in untested tactics.
They might see support or opposition from their officers. Try
playing up military politics between raids.
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1915
Fighting on land is fairly low-intensity until the spring, when
offensives are renewed. Poison gas is used for the first time at
Ypres, Italy joins the war against Austria-Hungary, and Russia
retreats from Poland. The Germans dominate the air with the
invention of the interrupter gear.
On the Western Front, the war effort is hampered by logistics.

None of the belligerents were expecting such a drawn-out war, so
shortages are common. In particular, there is an intense shortage
of artillery shells, bad enough to cause a political crisis in
Britain. Mostly unable to launch large offensives, both sides
settle in and dig deeper.
Equipment Changes
• Gas hoods are just simple masks or bags with mouthpieces. Roll a
d6 when a mask is used; it fails on a 1 or 2.
• Steel helmets are issued to French soldiers only.
• British officers are ordered to send their swords home.
• Chlorine and Phosgene are both in use.
• Replace Hand Bombs with Jam Tin Grenades.
• Anti-tank rifles.
1916
After a relatively quiet 1915, the war in the West picks up in 1916.
Armies clash at Verdun and the Somme and casualties are measured
by the hundreds of thousands. The first tanks rumble across the mud
and the war in the air escalates as the Allies finally contest the
Fokker Scourge.
Equipment Changes
• Steel Helmets are now general issue.
• Of tanks, only the Mark I and Schneider CA1 are available.
• The French begin wearing horizon blue instead of their
Conspicuous Uniform.
• Anti-tank rifles.
• Splinter Masks.
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1917
The Entente powers are in a bad spot in early 1917. The Russians are
knocked out of the war by a communist revolution, and while the
Americans join the war a month later, it’ll take almost a year for
them to arrive in numbers. In the meantime, hundreds of thousands
of hardened German soldiers are heading west to France. The RAF is
cut to pieces by new German planes in Bloody April, coordination
between the Allies is breaking down, and tens of thousands of
French troops mutiny rather than go to the front lines.
However, progress is finally made in other areas. The outnumbered

German divisions are forced to pull back to the Hindenburg line,
and at Vimy Ridge the Canadians launch a sophisticated offensive
which successfully employs new doctrines to capture a significant
amount of ground.
Equipment Changes
• The Renault FT, Saint Chammond, and Mark II tanks are available.
• Only the submachine-gun is not yet issued.
Notes
By this time, German defensive doctrine had evolved significantly,
and they had changed the way they were building their trench
systems. Rather than one continuous set of trench line, they were
now building small complexes of trenches, pillboxes, and foxholes,
allowing them to better cover dead zones and make more economical
use of their increasingly depleted forces.
To represent this in your maps, draw your long line for the
Allied trenches, then create chaotic areas of German trenches and
pillboxes opposite. You can vary the width of no-man’s land this
way, making for a fairly dynamic field.
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1918
The final year of the war was in many ways the most intense on
the Western Front. Changes in tactics and technology lead to the
breakdown of static warfare, as infiltration tactics and mass tank
assaults finally shattered the supremacy of defensive warfare. The
carefully ordered defences broke down, and the front now moved
over the span of days what used to take months.
The tactics pioneered by the trench raiders are now in widespread

use, not simply to sow chaos in enemy ranks, but to lead larger
assaults by conventional forces. German stormtroopers specialize
in these actions, but both sides use these tactics to good effect.
The German Spring Offensive, the Kaiserschlacht, made huge gains,

as Germany was desperate to put an end to the war before American
industry could be brought to bear. They were unable to capitalize
on these victories, hampered by lack of food and ammunition, and
counterattacks, bolstered by incoming American forces, shattered
the Hindenburg Line. With the front coming apart at the seams, the
German Empire was finally forced to come to terms.
The end of the war came as a shock to many Germans, who were
insulated from the direness of their position by state-controlled
press. Having heard only of the massive gains made in the Spring
Offensive, the sudden loss and hurried negotiations that followed
seemed incongruous, and rumours swirled about betrayal by their
leadership. Combined with the humiliating sanctions Germany
suffered in the Treaty of Versailles, the groundwork was laid for
the next war...
Gameplay Ideas
A last battle in 1918, with the now-hardened player characters
entrusted with the task of leading a major assault using the
skills and techniques they developed, is the perfect end to a long
campaign. The stakes are high and a great deal of trust is put in
the PCs, and everything can be escalated to maximum intensity.
Alternately, if you want to play The Trench Raiders using

something closer the original rules of PATROL, 1918 is the time to
do it. The lines are finally shifting and breaking open, so there
is need for men to occupy ground, take prisoners, and engage in the
sort of wartime activities PATROL was designed for.
105
1919 Offensive
Flush with American manpower, the Entente planned to end the war
in the spring of 1919 with a massive offensive, utilizing perfected
versions of all the tools and weapons developed over the last four
years, plus some new tricks. They would have gone up against the
height of German defensive ingenuity and tactics.
This could be an excellent setting for a grand campaign of The

Trench Raiders, as it lets you use cutting-edge weapons and
trench raiding tactics with larger objectives and the backing of
an entire army. Instead of simple overnight raids, you’ll be the
tip of the spear.
Play Options
By this time, the French were an exhausted force, and the British
weren’t doing much better. The bulk of the 1919 Offensive would
have fallen on the shoulders of American troops.
However, you could easily play experienced French or British

soldiers leading the attack for larger formations of American
troops. A small unit of soldiers, veterans of years of combat,
leading bright-eyed and fresh yankees over the top has great
narrative potential.
This is also an excellent scenario to play tankers in. The 1919

Offensive was to be led by armour, so the squad taking up some
brand-new tanks and attempting to force a breakthrough would
make perfect sense.
106
New Gear
The Americans heading into the 1919 Offensive would have had a
wide variety of cutting-edge equipment available, designed from
the ground up for the realities of trench warfare.
Issue every soldier a Pedersen Device. Any can opt to take a Self-
Loading Shotgun as an Advance, and any Advance that would get a
Mobile Machine-Gun could instead be used to take a Machine-Rifle.
Additionally, anyone can spend 2 Advances to acquire a Thompson
Submachine-Gun, an SMG with an extended magazine.
Pedersen Device
This strange device was essentially the core of a submachine-gun.
You could pull out the bolt on your Springfield 1903 and slot the
device in place, allowing it to rapid-fire a pistol round.
Type Weapon Attachment Weight 1
Fits into an American Bolt-Action Rifle. When attached as a minor
action, converts the weapon’s profile to a submachine-gun.
• The weight you are carrying remains consistent; the removed
Bolt becomes a 1-Weight item.
Self-Loading Shotgun
Self-loading shotguns like the Browning Auto-5 were used in
small numbers by American shooters. They were valued for their
extremely rapid rate of fire, allowing the user to sweep an entire
trench clear.
Uses the Shotgun profile and Skill.
• +8 to Attack.
• Can Jam.
Machine-Rifle
Representing the Browning Automatic Rifle and revised versions
of the Chauchat, these light machine-guns are designed to be
fired both from the bipod and from the hip while advancing.
Long-Range Firearm capable of Precision and Suppressive Fire.
• +4 to Suppressive Fire, +2 to Precision Fire.
• Inflicts +1 Suppression for Suppressive Fire.
• Built-in Bipod.
• Uses the Mobile Machine-Gun Skill.
107
1919 Vehicles
MK VII International
The next evolution of the British Heavy Tanks, this joint UK-US
project was designed to unify the heavy tanks of all the Western
Allies with one robust, capable vehicle. Well armed and decently
armoured, it would have lead the 1919 push.
Ground 4km/100m 2/15 15
400 1 2 8

x2 Gunner x2 Loaders x4 Gunners

Visibility 4 Visibility - Visibility 3
Light Cannon L/R 10 HE Shell Mobile Machine-Gun *
5 Spare Ammo
108
Medium C
Produced just too late to make it to the front lines, the Medium
C was much like the Medium B, but with better ergonomics and a
much larger engine. Fast and powerful, the Medium C would have
been a perfect compliment to existing tank forces.
Ground 8km/200m 2/15 15
300 1 1 5
Driver Commander Gearman

Gunner
Type In
Visibility 4
Capacity 15
Med. Machine-Gun
15 Spare Ammo
109
Leichter Kampfwagen I
The LK I was a German light tank design prototyped in 1918. A
radical departure from the heavy A7V, and clearly modelled on
the FT and Whippet, the LK I was only ever intended as a test, but
could potentially have been produced for 1919.
Ground 9km/300m 2/15 15
200 2 1 5
Driver Commander Gunner

Med. Machine-Gun
5 Spare Ammo
110
Leichter Kampfwagen II
The much-improved LK II would have been a solid little light
tank, had the original order been built. Better armoured and
with better crew awareness, they never saw service, but examples
were given to the Swedish.
Ground 9km/300m 2/15 15
200 1 1 7
Driver Commander/Gunner Loader

Inf. Field Gun 8 HE Shells
111
K-Wagen
The K-Wagen was a massive German landship project that made it
to the prototyping stage as the war ended. These 120 ton beasts
was so large they would have to be disassembled for transport
and rebuilt at the front lines.
Ground 3km/75m 1/15 100
1000 3 2 12
Driver x3 Commanders x4 Gunners

Visibility - Visibility 6 Visibility 3
Radio Telephone Heavy Tank Cannon*
x8 Loaders x8 Gunners x3 Gearmen

Visibility - Visibility 5 Visibility -
5 HE Shells Med. Machine-Gun*
5 Spare Ammo
There are enough machine-guns that two can be used per target. 45
people can ride atop the vehicle.
112
Sturmpanzerwagen
The Sturmpanzerwagen Oberschlesien was an experimental
tank project in progress during the war. It would have been a
revolutionary design had it been completed, resembling tanks
that wouldn’t be fielded for decades.
Ground 6km/200m 3/10 10
250 1 1 8
Driver Gunner/Commander Loader

Inf. Field Gun 12 HE Shells
Front Gunner Rear Gunner

Type In Type In
Med. Machine-Gun Med. Machine-Gun
5 Spare Ammo 5 Spare Ammo
The front gunner has coverage of the front 90 degrees while the
rear gunner has covers the rear 90 degrees. Follow sponson rules.
113
Other Fronts
While The Trench Raiders is based on the Western Front, the First
World War encompassed the whole world, and those tales are just as
worth telling.
Italian Front
In the Mountain War, Italy turned on their former allies in the
Triple Alliance and engaged Austria-Hungary across the Dolomite
mountains. As on the Western Front, the war was soon bogged down in
trenches, though the harsh, steep terrain created its own twists.
Concrete fortifications like modern castles guarded mountain
passes, and bases were dug out of glaciers and snowcapped peaks.
Royal Italian Army

The Italians had a special combat arm called the Arditi, “The
Daring Ones”. These elite assault units were tasked with driving
into enemy trenches ahead of assaults, engaging in fierce hand-to-
hand combat and holding the positions until relief could arrive.
Every Arditi soldier is issued a Combat Knife, considered their

primary weapon, and as many grenades as they can carry. The
Italians made extensive use of a wide variety of experimental body
armour. Any two pieces of body armour can be taken by any Archetype
as an Advance.
Austro-Hungarian Army
Just as their empire was a mess politically, the Austro-Hungarian
Army was a mess in terms of organisation. There were three separate
Armies; the Common Army which served the Empire, and the Imperial-
Royal Landwehr and Royal Hungarian Landwehr, which protected
Austria and Hungary respectively. Funding squabbles over these
armies meant that the soldiers on the front lines were often ill
equipped and poorly trained.
One speciality of the Austro-Hungarians was operating as a multi-

lingual force. There were 11 recognized languages in the Empire.
German was used as the command language of the military, but
some regiments spoke three or four languages, and officers were
required to be fluent in all of them. Soldiers were taught a series
of 80 commands in German.
Language shouldn’t form too much of an obstacle for players, but

deciding on an ethnicity for your character is important.
114
Eastern Front
The Eastern Front is oft-overlooked, but was a huge part of the war.
The only reason the Western Front unfolded as it did was because
Germany and Austria-Hungary was busy engaging Russia, the largest
land power in the world at the time, across hundreds of miles of
Eastern Europe.
As the front was much wider, the war in the East was much more
mobile than it was in the West. Much of the war consisted of trying
to find and engage the enemy, leading to large cavalry actions
and running battles. However, when forces did engage each other
in close proximity, the trench warfare that resulted could be even
more prolonged and brutal than the battles of the Western Front,
with months-long sieges and massive artillery duels commonplace.
The Russians fought hard, but were plagued by internal struggles

and poor leadership. Eventually, Russia collapsed into revolution.
The short-lived Russian Republic fought on for a short time, but
within a year was overthrown by the Bolsheviks, and the war in the
East came to an end. German forces serving in the East transferred
to the Western Front.
Imperial Russian Army

In 1914, the Russian army was far and away the largest in the world.
However, they had been struggling with decades of humiliation,
having lost various colonial conflicts in both war and diplomacy
and suffering a humiliating defeat in the Russo-Japanese War.
The Russians were the first to develop the tactics which would
eventually be used by German Stormtroopers, using a short, sudden
artillery barrage followed by raiding teams infiltrating the
lines. This makes an obvious jumping off point for a campaign.
Russian soldiers never produced a sufficient number of helmets for

their soldiers, so don’t issue any steel helmets. Replace their Load
Belts with Cartridge Belts. Otherwise, they would share profiles
and rules with other troops.
An interesting option would be to play as members of the Women’s

Brigades, female soldiers fighting on the front lines. Another
would be to play with cavalry regiments, scouting between armies
and raiding enemy logistics. Cossacks who must then turn against
the Communist revolution provide a great story hook.
115

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The Trench Raiders

Page 28 illustration CC BY 2.0 Chatham House, London.

The opium medication on page 43 came from Wellcome Images, a

Sturmpanzer Oberschlesien design originally by Salmanazar, taken

We are the Dead. Short days ago

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

That damned foolish thing occurred on 28 June, 1914, when Archduke

German offensives, decades in the planning, were launched against

Into this protracted stalemate was born a new breed of soldier.

Each PATROL game contains structural and mechanical changes

This isn’t a game about launching war-changing missions behind

To make playing these Archetypes easier, the typical character

New Battlefield Rules

Thus, in The Trench Raiders, there are no MOS or other official

Archetypes give a high-level direction for what kind of person

Each Archetype is based on animalistic stereotypes, echoing the

Every Archetype grants starting Skills, Attribute modifiers, and

Your Bounties are personal goals that

Your Despair is the behaviour your

The Leverage section details how your

Finally, the Advancement section

All characters may then take as much Spare Ammunition, Rations,

There are a series of alternate templates on page 98, offering a

You all speak English. An interesting option might be to play

Your trench-raiding mission begins soon after nightfall.

As France is not equatorial, the length of the night depends on the

Dawn Day Dusk Night

Missions begin at nightfall, and will typically last until

Bounty & Advancement

Bounties are attached to Archetypes, which means that your

The Bounties of dead characters still apply; you can try to

If an Advance is indented, you need to take the one above it first.

Doubt & Fatigue

For The Trench Raiders, Fatigue is never used; it is never tracked

Every Archetype playbook has a Despair section, which dictates a

There is no coercive mechanism in The Trench Raiders to force a

Leverage persists between missions.

Of course, things don’t always go to plan. To represent this, there

11 - The enemy is fully aware of the presence of infiltrators. A

Advance the Awareness Tracker by 1 whenever...

Advance the Awareness Tracker by 2 whenever...

Advance the Awareness Tracker by 3 whenever...

Truly massive events, like an ammo dump exploding or a tank assault

In order to use your Bayonet in combat, you must afix it to your

When a weapon has a bayonet attached, add +1 to the To Hit

The key to the rolling barrage is careful timing. The barrage is

A Creeping Barrage can be ordered as a special fire order with

Oftentimes, a barrage was planned to stop after a certain distance,

Anyone advancing behind the line is protected by the rain of

As shells can fall short, scatter is a risk. Units within scatter

Navigating this hellish terrain is much more difficult than you

Trench raiders will need to cross this nightmarish realm, twice,

In The Trench Raiders, everything between two opposed sets of

Generating No-Man’s Land

If a character uses an Observe Action while in No-Man’s Land, they

Crossing No-Man’s Land

Whenever a Unit moves, they elect one member of their number to be

Whenever you encounter things in No-Man’s Land, the GM should

Fighting in No-Man’s Land

No-Man’s Land by Day

During the day, No-Man’s Land is a lot quieter. Anyone trapped