This Is Not a Test: Post-Apocalyptic Skirmish Rules

About this board game

This Is Not a Test: Post-Apocalyptic Skirmish Rules is a two-player miniature skirmish game with a post-apocalyptic theme and an approximately 90-minute play time.

Set in the Tri-State Wasteland, a region of the old Mid-Atlantic States of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, the game places warbands in a world where danger can come from both opposing figures and the wasteland itself. Its rules can also be used for other post-apocalyptic settings.

Actions are resolved with two main types of dice tests. Opposed tests handle direct conflicts, especially close combat: both players roll a D10, add the relevant stat and modifiers, and compare results, with ties going to the defender. Stat tests resolve unopposed actions such as opening a locked door or climbing a ledge by comparing a modified D10 roll with a target number.

• Natural 10s create a Critical Hit, allowing a D6 bonus roll.
• Natural 1s are Fumbles that can trigger problems such as weapon failure or ammunition depletion.
• D3 rolls, scattering, and limited rerolls support additional situations.

Every battle can feel different through random encounters and wasteland hazards. At the beginning of each battle, players determine whether a hazard is present, with roughly a 50% chance that something bad will occur. Earthquakes, ash storms, unexploded ordnance, and other natural or unnatural phenomena can complicate the fight, while a bestiary provides rules for wasteland denizens.

With its radio-broadcast framing and hazardous setting, This Is Not a Test combines miniature warfare with the unpredictability of survival in the wasteland.