Web

NCT-Discord
Personal Note:
Some people claim, that very little good
comes from the internet. And while this
surely is the truth in certain cases, I
Rules: would like to have this document
Applepicking understood as the exact opposite of
this. So many different people with
Simon Schnitzler some many different backgrounds (be it
@4ydra nationality, belief, gender etc.) have
worked together, chatted, laughed, and
created to bring this Almanac to life,
BugCatching28 that it is a pure joy to behold. And I am
incredibly thankful to be part of this.
Andrew Mosen And because, I am writing this here, I
@footofadhesivetape/ take the liberty to thank a few people
especially: Thank you George for being
Editor deliverer of art on a short notice. Thank
Simon Schnitzler Children of the Village you, Tara, if it hadn’t been for your
sheep and your constant layout
@4ydra Matt Farmer support, nothing of this would have
been possible.
@ierthling Thank you, Ben, Tara, Travis, Rory,
Calligraphy Andrew and Matt, for doing your stuff
George DogWalking28
and always being such a supportive
gang. A big thank you to the whole
@inkxxviii
Travis McIntosh Discord-Crew and the countless inputs
and the helping hands. Thank you
Cover art @_hellgrammite_ 28_Mag and Alex for giving us the
reason and the push to get our bottoms
Simon Schnitzler up and do this.
@4ydra Fishing28 Finally, thank YOU!
Ben
NCT-Logo @apocrypha_now
George © Copyright Non-Combat-Tabletop
@inkxxviii Herding28 2023. All rights reserved. No part of
Simon Schnitzler Tara
this magazine may be reproduced,
digitally or in print, without the written
@4ydra
@manglingminis permission of the publisher.
 7: Fishing28 6: DogWalk28

8: Herding28

5: Children of the Village

2: BugCatching28 3: Applepicking28

1. Editorial 2. Why Do We Call Our Games “28”?

5. Sometimes kids see things, the 3. The apples are ripe, and a flock of
4. It is almost lunch time, but you adults are too grown up for. Help the hungry birds are almost there to steal
need some precious ingredients to children of the village to solve the your harvest. Can you be quick
complete the recipe for your magic mystery and bring back peace to the enough to secure the apples and
portion. Can you catch the bugs in townsfolk. send the birds home hungry?
time?

7. The family is hungry and the sea 8. It is time for the cattle to be brought 6. You got the bestest boy in the
lures with its riches. But be careful! back into the stable. If they only would world, and you want the world to
Hic sunt dracones! stay in one group. acknowledge that. If he would now
only sit still for a second for you to
take that one picture that will surely
go viral.
4: BugCatching28

9. Tabletop with kids

Editorial The story would have probably
ended there, if Tara, who runs as
@manglingminis on Instagram,
hadn’t come up with a game,
Dear readers, that followed the spirit of the
What happens when you take „War“ applepicking game.
out of „Wargaming“? Can you
imagine playing Tabletop without it Herding28 was the first of quite
being a conflict simulation? Do I a bunch of games that appeared
really need all the gruesomenesses, out of thin air. Fishing28,
bloodshed and violence to have Squealing28, DogWalking28,
fun? BugCatching28 and Children-of-
the-Village followed in quick
These were a bunch of weird succession, and we soon
questions when I faced them for the agreed, that we would need to
first time. I have been playing move our debates and game
tabletop since… a long time… and testing to another platform, and
have never questioned what I was we opened a discord. There, all
doing. the fun happens now, and you
It was during one of those are more than welcome to join
countless lockdowns when my wife us there.
faced me with the challenge of This Almanac is hopefully the
finding something new to do with 4- first of a little series. The games
year-old. As he had asked for quite in this volume have been the
some time, if he „could paint some first to show up and therefor are
of these things“, that I am always the most „finished“, but more
painting, a faint plan was forming. games are currently developed
and as soon as we have enough
But since my boy will learn soon of them together, we plan to
enough that the world is cold and release the next Almanac.
cruel, I didn’t want to introduce him
to guns and swords and all these Additionally, the rules you will
other things that basically only exist find here are the core rules of
to kill each other. each game. We have all sorts of
extensions, campaign mods or
So I picked the least „violent“ sprue advanced rules. If you find a
I could find and set to work with game to your liking and want to
him. What started as an afternoon- dive deeper, you can either find
project quickly escalated and we them on our discord or on the
ended up with everything that is creator’s profiles.
part of the tabletop hobby: we build,
primed and painted miniatures, We hope that you have as much
build a board, build terrain and in fun with this as we do.
the end, developed a game and
played. All this worked wonderfully Happy hobbying!
without a single drop of blood.
Simon
We called the game we developed
„applepicking28“ and I shared my
experience on Instagram.
 Why Do We Call Our Games “28”?

In the world of independent tabletop games, the

designation “28” is much more than just an indication
of scale. It began as part of a communal project to
adapt GW’s 54mm-scale Inquisitor game to the 28mm
scale used most commonly in miniatures gaming. But
from there, it took on a life of its own: appended to the
name of an artistic project (“Vignette28”) or an indie
ruleset’s name (“Turnip28”) or hashtag
(“#Necropolis28”), 28 has become a rallying cry to
unite artists and gamers around an approach to making
miniatures that centers kitbashing, sculpting, do-it-
yourself models and terrain. 28 games are
independent, often free, always intended to bring
together communities of players interested in claiming
the tabletop space for themselves. The aesthetics of 28
often partake of grimdark and blanchitsu, but more
than a look, “28” projects have a feel: they center
creativity over conformity, and celebrate artists
contributing to community. The free digital magazine
28 lies at the beating heart of the movement. It might
be going too far to say that “28” has a politics or an
ideology, but for myself, part of the joy of discovering
the 28 world has been finding a corner of the tabletop
universe than actively welcomes and celebrates
LGBTQ+ gamers, women gamers, BIPOC / BAME
gamers, and others who have historically been and
continue to be excluded and gatekept from tabletop
gaming. The 28 movement seeks to liberate gaming
from corporate control and conformist strictures about
who should play, what we should play, how we should
create the materials of our games and our art. So, why
do we call our games “28”? Because we made them
ourselves, and you can make them too.

-Matt (@ierthling)
#Applepicking28
V3.0

By Simon and Lennart Schnitzler

 Introduction
Welcome to the wonderful world of non-combat tabletop games and the world of
#applepicking28.
Before we dive into the world of apples and crows, I would like to insert some “designers notes”
here.

#applepicking28 is a game I am developing for and with my 4-year-old son. I am illustrating the
process of this little enterprise, how the rules came into existence and how we build the gaming
materials in another place. Here, I only would like to point out a few things that might be helpful,
if you want to play with your child:

1.The game must be fun for your child. If you are keen to play for the glory of triumph over
someone else, go and play with your peers.

2. Just because it makes sense to you, doesn’t mean, it makes sense for your child. The reasons
why things are the way they are, are a fix point in every tabletop game. But for a child, these things
are all negotiable. Why can I only move so far? Why can I not pick up ALL the apples at once? It
is the task of the parent to find explanations for the rules that make sense for a kid. Or even
better, you could ask your child what explanations they have themselves. This way you can discuss,
negotiate, innovate the game and its mechanics, and make it your own game.

3. Every single step towards a “fluid” game, is a task, a learning experience. We know how a turn
works. We know how to count, and we know how to roll a die. We know that you cannot simply
pick up the dice and re-roll them. Your child will probably have to learn each and every step in
this process. So, you as the parent must be a) patient and b) brave. Patient because you might
want to get on with the process, but your child gets distracted or takes longer than you might
have expected. In this case, consider taking a break, do something completely different and then
come back to what you just did. You also must be brave, since you know how things are done
and you can probably do them better than your kid. But only if they do things like painting or
gluing themselves will they get involved and will start to love what we love, because they are doing
it themselves.

4. Expect the unexpected. You probably already know that kids are always good for surprises. I
needed a moment and had that brief, intense moment of clarity, when my son tore down the
very structure of my beloved hobby. The understanding that, just because I know things are
working doesn’t mean that my son understands that, helped me to let go of what was “my hobby”
and helped me to make it “our hobby” since that’s the goal of this all right?

All in all, I wish you luck, patience, good dice, and tons of fun with this starter kit, because that’s
what this is. Take what you like and change what you don’t to make if fun. If you try this out,
have questions or comments, please reach out to me either on my blog
www.h-archive.com or via my Instagram-profile @4ydra.

Sincerely,
Simon
It is almost winter. Lennart and Lisa,
the two peasants, have harvested almost
all their fruits.
Only their apples still hang, red and
juicy on the trees. The time has come
to bring them in, because the crows are
hungry as well.
Can Lennart and Lisa harvest enough
apples before the birds arrive?
 What you need to start
o Ca. 10 X 18 inch board
o 5 trees
o 30+ apples
o House/stable/building
o One peasant per player
o D6 (dice)
o Measure-Sticks (4 inch long)
 Table Setup
Choose one of the scenarios and place the trees and the building
accordingly.
Place the peasants adjacent to the building’s door.
Hang the apples on the trees and try to spread them evenly. For
advanced games, hang more apples in the trees, which are further away
from the house.
Each player gets a measurement-stick and a die.
 Rules
The player that likes apples the most may
start the game.
Each peasant is controlled by a player.
A peasant may choose to do one of the
following things: You may move your miniature as far as
the measurement stick reaches (we made
them 4 inch long). You may end your
movement at any point before that.

When your base touches the trunk of an

apple tree, you may roll a D6. The result
is equal to the number of apples you may
take from the tree and hang on your
model.
You may pick as many apples as you can
fit on your model.

Goal of the game

First off, the goal of this game is to have fun. Right after that, your task is to get your
apples into the safety of your house, because after the game has ended (indicated by the
scenario), the hungry birds have arrived and eat all the apples, which are not inside the
house.
Even those that still might be carried by a peasant.
After the game has ended, count the apples you have picked and be proud of what you
have achieved.
The Children of the
Village

A Non-Combat Tabletop Game

by Matt Farmer
Introduction
The Children of the Village is a cooperative non-combat tabletop game in which
players control a small group of children in the outskirts of a medieval village.
Games of Children consist of three interconnected Scenarios that tell a single Story:
perhaps the Children are working to deal with a troublesome ghost only they can
see, or to help a strange theater troupe sneak their sinister puppet show into the
village, or to trick an intrusive church official who’s trying to put a stop to the
village’s traditional rituals. Each Scenario is designed to take no more than 20-30
minutes, so that an entire Story can be played through in one sitting.

The Children are limited in what they can do to deal with the village’s problems -
they have no recourse to violence, and the Grownups around them always seem to
have grownup concerns on their minds. But if they remember their songs and hold
tight to one another, their mischief just might end up saving their families and the
village itself.

Zine Edition
This is a demo version of Children of the Village written for inclusion in the first
Non-Combat Tabletop zine. Click here to access the full version of the game, which
includes:
● suggestions for miniatures to use
● printable standees
● rules for making your own Children and giving them Playthings
● options to increase or decrease the difficulty
● rules for playing with three or four players
● additional Stories
and more!
Setup
To play Children of the Village, you will need some version of the following:
● four to six Children miniatures
● Grownup miniatures: a Ghost and two Workers
● a 16” square board or area marked out on a tabletop
● four Task Tokens, approximately the same size as your Children’s bases
● three six sided dice (3d6), plus one additional dice of a distinct appearance to
serve as a Sunset Counter

The Board
Children of the Village is played on a 16” square board, divided into four 8” square
Tiles: a Town Tile, a Woods Tile, and two Field Tiles. These tiles should be mostly
free for models to move around in, but terrain details can be used to indicate their
identities. They should be arranged so that the Town and Woods Tiles are diagonally
opposite each other, and the two Field Tiles are diagonally opposite each other, like
so:

Field Woods

Town Field

The corner of each tile represents an Exit from the board: these Exits extend 4”
along the table edge from the table corner in each Tile.

Task Tokens
Most Scenarios will call for various Task Tokens to represent objectives during the
game. These should be roughly the size of a typical model’s base (20-30mm). Empty
bases or flat tokens can be used, but since models can’t move through Task Tokens,
you may also choose to use objects like bee hives, hay bales, orchard trees or other
agricultural features for your Task Tokens; ritual objects like gravestones or effigies
also work well.
The Rules
Dice Rolls
When a Child declares an action that requires a dice roll, you must first assemble a
dice pool. This will be a set of between one and three six-sided dice (1-3d6) that will
be affected by sources of Comfort or Trouble, as indicated by the action itself, the
model’s own rules and abilities, and/or the scenario.
● To determine the action’s dice pool, first total up the action’s Comforts, then
total up the action’s Troubles. Comforts and Troubles cancel each other out;
the remaining Comfort or Trouble total then indicates the dice pool.
● If there are more sources of Comfort than Trouble, roll 1d6 plus one additional
die for each uncanceled Comfort, to a maximum of 3 total dice. After rolling,
select the result you prefer.
● If there are more sources of Trouble than Comfort, roll 1d6 plus one additional
die for each uncanceled Trouble, to a maximum of 3 total dice. After rolling,
you must select the highest result.
● If there are no sources of Trouble or Comfort, or Troubles and Comforts fully
cancel each other out, simply roll 1d6 and use the result.

Once you have assembled the dice pool, roll and determine the result; this result will
set the outcome (such as moving a model the indicated number of inches).

Most Comforts and Troubles are specific to the Child, the target of its action, the
scenario, or other such factors, but one source is universal - the Child’s location:
● If the Child is fully within the Town Tile, it receives a Comfort.
● If the Child is fully within the Woods Tile, it receives a Trouble.

Conditions
Children are always in one of four states, called Conditions: Brave, Worried, Scared,
or Caught. When a Child and Grownup enter into base contact with each other (or
would move into base contact with a model they are already in contact with),
regardless of the cause of the movement, the Child becomes Worried. If the Child is
already Worried, it becomes Scared. If the Child is already Scared, it becomes
Caught.

Brave and Worried have no effect on the Child, but Children who are Worried are
vulnerable to becoming Scared, and both Conditions may be referenced by Scenario
conditions or Grownups’ special rules.

When a Child is Scared, all their actions receive a Trouble.

When a Child is Caught, it becomes attached to the model that caused it to become
Caught. This can be indicated by shifting the Child’s base so that it slightly overlaps
the Grownup’s.
● When a Grownup has a Caught Child attached to it, during its activation it
will always move directly towards the Exit designated in its description (do
not roll on its movement chart).
● Whenever that Grownup moves, at the end of its movement, place the Child
into base contact with it.
● If the Grownup moves into base contact with a Child, it stops as usual and
that model’s Condition moves from Brave to Worried, or Worried to Scared;
but it cannot cause a Child to become Caught if it already has a Caught Child.
● A Caught Child may not be chosen to activate during the Children Phase; if a
Caught Child loses the Caught Condition during the Children phase and has
not already activated that round, it may be chosen to activate then.
● If a Grownup with a Caught child reaches its Exit, the Child is removed from
the game, and the Grownup returns to activating normally in future rounds.

Rounds, Turns, and Activations

Children of the Village takes place over a series of Rounds, each divided into a
Children Phase and a Grownup Phase. Players will activate their own models during
the Children Phase, and then Grownups will activate during the Grownup Phase
according to a set of randomized possible actions.

Children Phase
During the Children Phase, players take turns activating a Child model who has not
yet activated this turn, until all available Children have activated. A Child’s
activation consists of a move, followed by an action.

Movement
When a Child is activated, it may move up to 3”; it does not have to move, but it
must complete its movement before declaring its action. Models cannot move
through each other or through Task Tokens. Moving Children do not have to move in
a straight line, but can spend their movement to work around such obstacles. Any
other terrain features on the board, however, should be treated as purely decorative
and ignored during movement.
Actions
After completing its 3” movement, a Child may take one action. Actions from the list
below are available to all Children; Scenarios may provide additional actions
Children can take as well.

● Yell: Target a Grownup within 6”, then roll. Move the target a number of
inches equal to the outcome. If the result is even, the target moves directly
towards this model; if the result is odd, the target moves directly away from
this model. If the target comes into base contact with another model or
marker, it immediately stops.
● Run: Roll, then move this model in a straight line a number of inches equal to
the result. If this model comes into base contact with another model or
marker, it immediately stops.
● Meddle: Target a Task Marker in base contact and roll. If the result is odd,
reduce the Sunset Counter by 1. If the result is even, increase the Sunset
Counter by 1.
● Sing: The next time another Child rolls while in base contact with this model,
that Child’s roll receives a Comfort.
● Save: Target a Child in base contact; place it anywhere in base contact with
this Child but not in base contact with any Grownup. If the target was
Caught, it becomes Scared; if it was Scared; it becomes Worried; if it was
Worried, it becomes Brave.

Grownup Phase
During the Grownup Phase, players take turns activating Grownups who have not
been activated this Round. When a Grownup is chosen to activate, take the following
steps in order:
● Roll 1d6 on the Grownup’s movement chart to determine their movement
target.
○ If there is not an available target, the Grownup does not move.
● Move the Grownup towards their target a number of inches equal to their
Speed.
○ If the Grownup comes into base contact with a Child during its move, it
immediately stops moving. The Child becomes Worried, Scared, or
Caught, as described under Conditions above.
○ Grownups should navigate around other Grownups or Task Tokens to
get as close to their objective as their movement distance allows.

At the end of the Grownup Phase, increase the Sunset Counter by 1. If the Sunset
Counter reaches 6, the game ends. Scenarios will typically describe other actions
that may raise or lower the Sunset Counter.
Children
For this demo version of the game, play using the Children described below. If you’re
playing solo, use any four of the Children. If you’re playing with another person, you
should each pick three Children. The Children’s names and characteristics can grant
them Comfort or Trouble as follows:
● If a Child is in base contact with another child with the same Family Name,
their actions receive a Comfort.
● If a Child takes the action that is its Strength, it receives a Comfort
● If a Child takes the action that is its Weakness, it receives a Trouble

Belya Mulder Agnes Mulder

Nature: Ringleader Nature: Goody Two-Shoes
Strength: Yell Strength: Run
Weakness: Run Weakness: Meddle

Marten de Boer Adam Smit

Nature: Ruffian Nature: Sneakthief
Strength: Yell Strength: Meddle
Weakness: Meddle Weakness: Yell

Calfken Imker Lubert Smit

Nature: Runt Nature: Troublemaker
Strength: Run Strength: Meddle
Weakness: Yell Weakness: Run

Grownups
“Grownups” is a category which, from the village children’s point of view, includes
anyone who’s not a local Child. Within the game, they are models activated during
the Grownup Phase, who behave according to the randomized procedure described
for the Grownup Phase above.

Grownups all have the following characteristics:

● Speed: the number of inches the Grownup moves when it activates.
● Movement: a randomization chart for setting the Grownup’s movement target
during its activation.
● Exit: The table corner the Grownup moves towards when it rolls an Exit result
on its movement chart, or when it has a Caught child.
● Special Rules: any special effects that distinguish the Grownup from ordinary
Grownup behavior.
Worker
A typical village parent, working in the fields just outside of town.
● Speed: 3
● Movement: 1-4) Nearest Task Token (ignoring Tokens this model is already in
base contact with); 5) Nearest Child 6) Exit
● Exit: Town
● Parent: At the beginning of the scenario, randomly assign this model a Family
Name.
● Kind but Stern: If a Child would become Caught because of this model, instead
it remains Scared.

Ghost
An ethereal being, left behind by someone lost to memory.
● Speed: 4
● Movement: 1-3) Nearest Child; 4-6) Nearest non-Ghost Grownup
● Exit: Woods
● Terrifying: Actions targeting this model receive a Trouble.
● Snatcher: If a Child would become Worried because of this model, instead it
becomes Scared.
Story: The Haunting
A ghost has been emerging from the Woods to to haunt the fields where the villagers
labor. Only the Children can see it, but it is corrupting the village Grownups with its
spectral presence.

Scenario One: The Ghost of the Forest

The Children are playing in the Woods when the ghost appears. The Children flee
home, but they must convince their parents to flee with them.

Setup: Place two Task Tokens, one in the center of each of the Field Tiles. Place a
Worker in base contact with each Task Token. Place the Children within 4” of the
corner of the Woods Tile. Set the Sunset Counter at 2 for a solo game, or 3 if you’re
playing with a partner.

Events: At the end of the first Round, place a Ghost in the center of the Woods Tile;
any models it would overlap are pushed 1” directly away.

Special Rules
● Corruption: Whenever the Ghost ends in base contact with a Worker, increase
the Sunset Counter by 1.

Outcome
● If the Ghost reaches its Exit with a Caught Child, the Children lose.
● If the Sunset Counter reaches 6, the Children lose.
● If both Workers are fully within the Town Tile at the end of the round, the
Children win.
○ If the Children win, each player may select one Child gain a special
nature, Fearless: This model ignores Terrifying.

Scenario Two: Confronting the Ghost

The Children work up their courage to approach the Ghost, but if they can’t learn its
secrets by nightfall, they’ll be too frightened to remain outside the village.

Setup: Place two Task Tokens, one in the center of each of the Field Tiles. Place a
Worker in base contact with each Task Token. Place the Children within 4” of the
corner of the Town Tile. Set the Sunset Counter at 2 for a solo game, or 3 if you’re
playing with a partner.

Events: At the end of the first Round, place a Ghost in the center of the Woods Tile;
any models it would overlap are pushed 1” directly away.
Special Rules
● Corruption: Whenever the Ghost ends in base contact with a Worker,
increase the Sunset Counter by 1.
● Speaking to the Ghost: All Children gain the special action Whispered
Question: Target a Ghost within 3” and Roll. If the result is odd, the question
has been answered. If the result is even, increase the Sunset Counter by 1.

Outcome
● If the Ghost reaches its Exit with a Caught Child, the Children lose.
● If the Sunset counter reaches 6, the Children lose.
● If the Childrens’ questions to the Ghost are answered 3 times, the Children
win.
○ If the Children win, all Children gain the special action Say The Ghost’s
Name: Target a Ghost within 3”. It does not activate during the next
Grownup Phase. A Ghost may only be affected by this action once per
Scenario.

Scenario Three: Burying the Ghost

The Children have come to understand that the ghost, a child like them, cannot move
on because it never received proper burial. They must locate its bones outside the
village, and lay them to rest. The Grownups still don’t believe in the ghost, and don’t
approve of this strange “game” the children are playing.

Setup: Place four task tokens, one at the center of each tile. Place a Worker next to
each of the Field task tokens. Place the Children within 4” of the corner of the Town
Tile. Set the Sunset Counter at 2 for a solo game, or 3 if you’re playing with a
partner.

Events: At the end of the first Round, place a Ghost in the center of the Woods Tile;
any models it would overlap are pushed 1” directly away.

Special Rules
● Corruption: Whenever the Ghost ends in base contact with a Worker,
increase the Sunset Counter by 1.
● Lay the Bones to Rest: All Children gain the following special actions:
○ Dig: Target a Task Token in a Field or Woods Tile in base contact and
Roll. If the result is odd, place a bone counter on the Child’s base (or
otherwise indicate the Child is carrying the counter). If the result is
even, increase the Sunset Counter by one.
○ Bury: A Child who is carrying a bone counter may target the Task
Token in the Town Tile while in base contact with it to bury the
 remains. Discard the bone counter, and reduce the Sunset Counter by
one.

Outcome:
● If the Ghost reaches its Exit with a Caught Child, the Children lose.
● If the Sunset counter reaches 6, the Children lose.
● If the Children bury three bones, the ghost is laid to rest, and the Children
win.

Epilogue
If the Children lose the final Scenario, the Ghost remains a restless presence on the
outskirts of the village. The Grownups learn to avoid the fields beside the woods on
days when the wind moans like a lost child.

If the Children win the final Scenario, the Ghost has been laid to rest. The dreams of
the villagers become peaceful, and the fields prosper. Sometimes, when the Children
are playing in the woods, they catch a brief glimpse of another child at the edge of
their games, unknown, but somehow familiar.
You need to get your dog out for a walk, but they’re already in their jammies.
What a cute doggo! Maybe you can exploit their cuteness for clout on social
media, you just need to make it to a good spot to take a picture. Your dog
doesn’t really want to be out here, so try to keep them focused!
What you'll need:
• 2 28mm models per player to represent a Walker and a Dog
• 1 piece 5˝ scenic terrain
• A reasonable amount of scatter terrain for visual flavor (trees, benches, boxes, etc)
• 1 or more d6
• A few different colored tokens
• Roughly 2´ x 2´ free space
• A scatter die if you have one (not absolutely necessary)

To start:
Give each player one different colored token to act as a Ball. Place the Scenic Terrain at
the edge of the 2´ x 2´ space.
Determine who goes first either by who pet a dog most recently or by having a dice roll
with the highest rolling player going first. If there are more than two players, the turn
order will rotate clockwise from the starting player. Each player sets their models 2´ from
the Scenic Terrain and at least 10˝ apart from the other players’ models (subtract 2˝ from
this distance for every additional player.) Determine which direction in the space should
be North, as it will be relevant if you don’t have a scatter die. If a Walker or Dog reaches
the edge of the table, they are considered to have Gone Home and are out of play.
Walker Phase Dog Time
Each Walker has two actions they can use during All the players will take their turns in the
this phase. Each action can only be used once per Walker Phase and then it will repeat. After the
turn. Special actions require a dice roll. second Walker phase ends, Dog Time will begin
and the rounds will alternate between Walking
Movement: up to 4˝ in any direction (scatter Phase and Dog Time until the game ends.
terrain does not impede movement)
During Dog Time, choose another player’s Dog
Take picture - if you have a leashed dog (only and get ready to roll for distractions! Each dog
win if dog is next to the scenic terrain) can only be chosen once for this phase.

Distractions:
Pet dog - if your dog is leashed, you can pet
Roll a single D6 to determine which distraction
them. Their tail wags and they flash you a big
takes place
doggy grin!
Find a good smell - the “heel”
Special actions: Roll a D6 to determine the
command will take both actions before
outcome
2 or 4 1˝ compliance on the player’s next Walking
• Extra movement:
3 or 5 2˝ Phase turn. If there is a ??? token within 6˝
the dog runs to that now.
1 or 6 3˝
• Toss ball: Zoomies - the Dog will run in a circle
2 or 4 - place a Ball Marker 6˝ in a direction of around their Walker before landing on
your choosing. Your leashed dog stays put. If a 1d6 space (refer to chart on next page)
you have multiple dogs, pick 1 model to stay 4˝ away. If using a scatter die, whatever
put direction it points is the space the dog
3 or 5 - same Ball Marker placement as a 2 lands on. Feel free to pantomime the dog
or 4 roll, but your dog moves to the space circling before placing the model.
with the Ball and the Ball is considered to be Request pets - The Dog runs up to
the closest Walker if they are within 4˝ in
“picked up” by the dog. &
1 or 6 - The Ball Marker is placed 8˝ away, and a bid for affection. If not within 4˝ the
your dog moves past it in the same direction Dog moves 4˝ closer to the nearest Walker.
an additional 2˝ while still picking up the Ball. Petting is optional on the next turn, if
If a dog “picks up” a Ball, the token stays you’re a sicko.
with the dog for its movements.The Walker Squirrel! - roll direction on the chart
will receive the ball marker again if the dog is below or roll a scatter die, the Dog moves
holding it and touches their Walker’s base. d6˝ in that direction dragging their Walker
• “Here, pup!” - Only if a free dog is within 4˝ 2˝ behind it if the Dog is leashed. If the
2, 4, or 6 - dog doesn’t listen and stays put Dog is not leashed, the Walker isn’t moved.
1, 3, or 5 - dog moves up next to you and is ??? - The Dog won’t move until the next
Leashed Dog Time. Place a token at that position
at the start of next Dog Time. If any player
walks over the token it’s removed from
play.
 N

Player

Winning the game

The Dog must be touching bases with the border of the Scenic Terrain with
their Walker less than 4˝ away with an available action to spend taking a picture.
Congratulations! Now you can get some likes on social media! Don’t forget the
hashtag #dogwalk28!

Details of note, wordage:

Leashed: During the walker phase, the Dog will maintain their distance to a Walker if they are
within 2˝ of them. They are then considered to be “leashed”
Ex: if a Walker moves in a direction 4˝ while Dog is leashed, the Dog will move in that same
direction 4” while maintaining the distance from the Walker
Free Dog: If a Dog is further than 2˝ away from a Walker, they are considered a “Free Dog” and
won’t be considered to be Leashed until a Walker is directly next to them. Walkers can leash any
Free Dog.
Compulsion to Chase: If a thrown ball is within 8˝ of any dog (unless stated by the Throw Ball
roll) they are compelled to chase it. The closest dog will reach the ball and all of the other Dogs
(unless they specifically rolled to not move) will move up the amount it took for the closest dog to
reach it. After this action is complete, a Dog is not compelled to chase a grounded ball.
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To play this game you require:
› A 5” diameter template to represent the herd.
› A 20mm – 40mm token to represent the herding dog.
› A number of spare 20mm – 40mm tokens to represent loose animals.
› A scatter die (or some other method to determine a random direction, such as placing a pencil
vertical and then letting go, with your random direction being the direction the pencil points
when it lands).
› A four-sided die (D4), a six-sided die (D6), an eight-sided die (D8), a ten-sided die (D10), and a
twenty-sided die (D20).
› A tape-measure or measuring stick of up to 12”.
› A roughly 2’ x 2’ board or playing area.

complete, a new turn begins and you repeat

A Note on Dice all phases.
Certain rules will require you to roll a die to
determine random events. The type of die
you roll can depend on various factors, such Dumb Animals
as terrain or mutations to your herd. Unless At the beginning of each turn roll the scatter
stated otherwise the die you roll is a D6. die and a D6 for each herd and/or loose
However, this die can be “upgraded” or animal. Starting with the herd or loose
“downgraded”. To upgrade a die, you must animal that it furthest away from the
roll the next die up (e.g. a D6 is upgraded to a herding dog, move the herd or loose animal
D8 and a D8 is upgraded to a D10). To a number of inches equal to the number the
downgrade a die you must roll the next die rolled on the D6 in the direction the
down (e.g. a D8 is downgraded to a D6 and a randomly selected direction. Measuring
D6 is downgraded to a D4). A die can never be happens from the centre of the herd or loose
upgraded above a D20 or downgraded below animal.
a D4. A die can be upgraded or downgraded
multiple times, with upgrades and
downgrades cancelling each other out.
Come-by
Once any herds and/or loose animals have
finished randomly moving, you can now
How to Play move your herding dog. A herding dog can
To begin play, set up the herding dog, the move 12” in any direction you wish, however
herd, and any terrain as described in the it cannot move through a herd or loose
Trial. The game is split into turns. Each turn animal. Note you can NOT measure the
is split into four unique sequential phases; distance between the centre of any herds or
Dumb Animals, Come-by, Loose Animal, loose animals and the herding dog during
Move Herd. Once all phases of a turn are this phase.
Loose Animal Move Herd
With the movement of the herding dog Once any loose animals have separated from
complete, measure the distance between the the herd, the herd and loose animals will
centre of any herds and the herding dog. If now move. Starting with the herd or loose
the herding dog is within 8” of the centre, animal that is furthest away from the
roll a D8. If the roll is equal to or exceeds herding dog, move the herd or loose animal
the distance in inches between the herding a number of inches so that the herd or loose
dog and the centre of the herd, an animal animal is 10” away from the centre of the
has gotten spooked and split from the herd! herding dog. Herds and loose animals move
Roll a D6 and a scatter die to determine a in a straight line directly away from the
random direction and place a loose animal centre of the herding dog, measuring from
token as many inches away from the edge of the centre of the herd or loose animal.
the herd as was rolled on the D6 in the
random direction (measure between the If the centre of a herd or loose animal is
centre of the herd and the new loose animal already more than 10” away from the
to follow the random direction). herding dog, do not move them.

Note that while a loose animal acts like a If a loose animal touched the edge of the
herd during the Dumb Animals and Move table, remove the loose animal from the
Herd phases, it cannot create more loose table. This loose animal has escaped, which
animals. In addition, if a loose animal will affect victory conditions.
touches a table edge they are immediately
removed as they have escaped! If the herd touches the edge of the playing
area, it immediately stops. Unlike loose
A herd represents an indeterminate number animals it is not removed, but counts as an
of animals, and so will always be able to additional loose animal escaping for the sake
create new loose animals. If you have run out of the victory conditions.
of loose animal tokens then you don’t have
to place any new ones, but any animals that If a herd or loose animal touches another
have escaped can be reused as new loose herd, loose animal, or herding dog, it
animals. immediately stops.

A loose animal can be returned to the herd

if any movement would result in them That’ll Do
coming into base-to-base contact with the You finish a game by getting the centre of
herd in any turn after the animal has gotten the herd into the Pen. At the end of the
loose. On any turn it cannot return to the game, add up how many loose animals
herd, a loose animal cannot move through escaped or didn’t reach the Pen, the lower
the herd and will instead stop at soon as it the number the better. Give your dog a pat
gets into base-to-base contact. for being so good and get ready for the next
trail!
 Walk Up

It’ll be easy the said. Just get them in the pen they said. Now I’m sat here covered in mud and smelling like
sheep.

Layout
A square Pen made of three 8” fences is set up on one side of the board, 2” away from the right
table edge and along the horizontal centre line. A herd is placed 8” away from the left table edge.
Your herding dog can be placed anywhere within 2” of the left table edge.
Dear reader,
we hope that you have enjoyed
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