Thrackdown Is in Open Alpha: Free Skirmish Battles in the Ruins of Nova Eden
Build a small warband with miniatures you already own and help playtest a free post-apocalyptic skirmish game.
Thrackdown is in Open Alpha, with free rules available for players who want to try a post-apocalyptic tabletop skirmish game and help shape its development.
You lead a small warband through Nova Eden, a colony cut off from Earth after its supply ships stopped arriving. Generations of failing infrastructure, unchecked experiments and conflict have left industrial ruins, isolated settlements and rival factions fighting over what remains.
Small warbands, decisions every turn
A typical warband has six to eight fighters. Thrackdown is miniature-agnostic, so you can use models you already own, kitbash a new crew or bring an unfinished hobby project to the table.
The rules use D6s and alternating activations: players take turns activating one fighter, with two actions per activation. Two systems shape the fighting:
- Nerve represents the pressure of combat. Fighters can falter under fire even when they survive the attack, making suppression useful alongside damage.
- Momentum rewards bold actions with a shared resource. Spend it on Surges such as rerolls, movement boosts or an extra action when you need it.
There are six factions, from the disciplined Iron Pact and scavenging Scavver Clades to the mutants of the Splice and independent machines of Null Protocol. Each has its own roster, abilities and approach to the battlefield.
Try a game and tell us what needs work
The Quick Start Rules and Faction Rules are free to download. A first-game walkthrough starts with four models per side, while the free Warband Builder helps put together your roster.
Campaign play is being developed and tested during the Open Alpha, with fighters carrying experience, injuries and equipment between battles. This is a working game in development, and rules will change as playtesting exposes problems.
Battle reports, confusing wording and unexpected rules interactions are all useful feedback. The core rules will remain free.
Download the rules and try Thrackdown, then join the Discord to share how your game went.
