Wildlands A Homebrew Setting and Conversion for This is Not a Test By: Mike R. and Jeff S. Summary: A fantasy conversion for This Is Not a Test, the premise is that a group of inventors created a powerful device known as the Mueller Gateway. It opened a portal into a parallel and unnatural realm known as the Immaterial. They hoped to harness the power of this realm, but instead were driven mad by exposure to it. They lost control of their device, and in doing so released a plague of interdimensional horrors into an area known as the Wildlands; the region they had set up their workshop. The Empire, fighting a war in the North with the barbaric Orc hordes, has been forced to turn to mercenaries to help quell the outbreak. The Emperor himself placed a bounty on each and every creature, to be paid upon proof of death. Now Mercenary Warbands roam the Wildlands, hunting the beasts and each other. You play as one of these Warbands, and your goal is simple: Hunt creatures, stop other Warbands from doing the same, and get paid. Rule Changes: The rules are basically the same with some minor variations Term and Name Changes: Robot = Golem Mutant = Touched Primitive = Common Support Weapon = Artillery Creature = Beast Warband = Company Modern = Uncommon Relic = Curio Heavy Improvised = Improvised Great Weapon Heavy Weapon = Great Weapon Light Improvised = Improvised Hand Weapon Light Weapon = Hand Weapon Small Blade = Dagger Mauler = Halberd Slaughter Blade = Falchion Maw-Maw’s Pry Bar = The Spirit of the Knight Exemplar Bow = Short Bow Black Powder Pistol = Pistol Musket = Handgun Compound Bow = Long Bow Machine Pistol = Repeating Pistol Sniper Rifle = Long Rifle Submachine Gun = Repeating Handgun Spear Fisher = Anchor Gun Grenade Launcher = Light Cannon Light Machine Gun = Bolt Thrower Minigun = Volley Gun Missile Launcher = Ballista Flash Bang = Flash Bomb Fragmentation = Powder Charge Molotov Cocktail = Firebomb Sleep Grenade = Rune of Sleep Tear Gas = Gas Grenade Plasma Grenade = Rune of Destruction Shrieker = Rune of Sound Ballistic Shield = Round Shield Combat Armor = Half Plate Combat Shield = Tower Shield Heavy Metal Armor = Breast-and-Back Primitive Shield = Kite Shield Riot Armor = Brigandine Scrap Armor = Chain Hauberk Berserker Brew = Red Eye Electric Torch = Lantern Fischer’s Glow-B-Gone = Panacea Geiger Counter = Rune of Divining Liquid Bravery = Whiskey Shiny Object = Lucky Charm War Banner = Company Standard War Totem = Trophies Pre-Fall Ammo = Custom Ammo Illumination Flare = Flare Midnight Snack = Ration General Rule Changes: -Only one copy of each Curio weapon, armor, or equipment may be in the campaign at once. No two Warbands may have the same one. -This rule does not apply to Schlosser’s Magic Bullet. -All Curios lose Malfunction Prone and gain Immaterial Emanation (x) -There is no more Fungus Type. -You may not hire Rogue Psykers as Freelancers. -Rank and File may not carry anything with the Uncommon type. -Up-Armed no longer allows a model to carry Artillery. It now allows a Golem hired by the Company to be equipped with the Artillery, with the Up-Armed model representing the only person who knows how to service the weapon. If the model with Up-Armed is killed and not replaced, the Artillery gains the Malfunction Prone rule until a new Up Armed model is hired. -You may not carry a weapon that you do not have the respective skills for. If you have no weapon skills, you may only be equipped with common melee weapons. -Shields now only provide an armor bonus in the front arc of the model wielding them. -This includes the +1 they give to someone wielding a shield and a set of armor. -Mutations and Detriments are always randomly chosen, and you must always take a detriment when creating a newly mutated character. -All ranged weapons except for bows and crossbows gain Limited Ammo. -You cannot take Cattle Prods, Aerosol Guns, Spear Guns, Splatter Guns, Crossbow Pistols, Pistols, Sub Machine Guns, Rifles, Shotguns, Biohazard Suit, Gas Mask, Bloody Heads, Filth Bombs, Flamethrowers, Geiger Counter, Gran-Gran’s Stew, Hooks and Chains, or Meat Cage. -Pre-Fall Ammo, Plasma Grenades, and Shriekers are no longer considered Relics. -Halberds, Great Weapons, The Spirit of the Knight Exemplar, Falchions, Recurve Bows, Repeating Pistols, Repeating Handguns, Long Rifles, Full Plate Armor, Hauberk, Kite Shield, Half Plate Armor, Large Caliber Upgrade, Masterwork Upgrade, Flare, Panacea, all Runes, Gas Grenades, Custom Ammo, and Company Standard count as Uncommon. -You may not make a Mutant or Mutant Cannibal Warband. -Beasts are no longer a traditional Hazard of the Waste. They can show up in two ways. One, if the Scenario is a Hunt and there are already Beasts on the Board, or Two, if you draw them with Noise. -Noise: Noise is a new mechanic in the game that is used to represent the noises of battle attracting, or waking nearby Beasts. Noise is generated each turn, and resets at the end of the turn; sometimes leaving a modifier. There are three levels of Noise, Quiet, Loud, and Cacophonous. Quiet Noises are things like blades or other hand weapons clanging against each other, or a shout between fighters. Loud Noises are usually Handguns or Pistols being fired. Cacophonous noises are explosions, and usage of Runes; magic attracts Beasts like moths to a flame. Noise modifiers are added together at the end of every turn, and added to 1D10; it doesn’t matter who rolls it, but I suggest you alternate. If a 16 is rolled, then a Beast has been attracted and you must roll on the Immaterial Beasts Chart, found in the Encounters section. If anything less than a 16 is rolled, then no Beasts are summoned, however for every +5 worth of Noise Modifiers, add a +1 to the next turns Noise roll. Only one selection of Beast can be summoned this way. Level Type Modifier Quiet A failed Melee Attack. +1 Quiet Each use of the Motivator +1 skill. Loud A Firearm being used. +2 Loud A failed Melee Attack +2 against a Shield user. Cacophonous A Rune being activated. +3 Cacophonous An explosive going off. +3 -Add the following new skills: -(General) Spiritbond – This model has the effect of Lucky Charm without having to carry one. This ability does not stack with Lucky Charm. -Add to Weapon Traits -Silent – When this weapon is used it does not count towards the noise modifier. -Reload – This weapon takes a longer time to reload than normal. After firing, place a Jam token next to the model. -Immaterial Emanation (x) – Every time the Curio is activated the wielder must pass a Survival Test against Radiation. -Immaterially Null – This device does not utilize the Immaterial and thus does not give off energies. Weapons, Armor, and Equipment: Weapons, Armor, and Equipment have been changed around a lot. Melee Weapons, Equipment, and Armor now all have categories like Ranged Weapons do. Everything too advanced has been gotten rid of. Anything that is more advanced than the basic weapons and armor is covered under the Uncommon category and is limited in who can wield it. Common Melee and Ranged Weapons, Armor, and Equipment: Easy to find or manufacture, or simply cheap, Common weapons are the most numerous type of weapon used in the Wildlands. Easy to train with, some of them are even converted from farming or general purpose tools. Though those aren’t very damaging or sturdy. Armor in this group tends to be cheaper to make and easier to fit. Equipment of this type is cheap and easy to find, like Whiskey, or nearly free, like Trophies or Lucky Charms. Bayonets: Easily the best way for adding versatility to a soldier, Bayonets allow a ranged unit to fight effectively in melee, and avoid getting overrun by quicker close ranged characters. A common issue item in Green Companies given their Veteran leaders’ proclivity for calling out, “Fix Bayonets!” at the beginning of every fight. -Bayonets can be mounted to Handguns and Blunderbuss. Fist: Kicking and punching is the oldest form of fighting that humans know. In a pinch it’s better than screaming till you’re killed. Improvised Great Weapon (Heavy Improvised): A common sight in poorer companies, or among the peasantry, an Improvised Great Weapon can be anything from a sharpened hoe, that has been cold forged to form a spear, to a simple pitchfork. -Improvised Great Weapons cannot be scrounged for in the usual fashion. Improvised Hand Weapon (Light Weapon): Similar to their Great Weapon cousin, Improvised Hand Weapons are one handed improvised fighting tools. Pruning blades, ground down wood cutting axes, and hammers could all fall under this category. However, unlike Improvised Great Weapons, thick branches, chunks of stone, rifle butts, and axe hafts can all fall under it as well. Hand Weapon (Light Weapon): Generally considered as anything that can be used with one hand. Swords, axes, hammers, maces, clubs, etc. The most common weapon used throughout the entirety of the Wildlands and the world beyond. Even on the battlefield, where Pike and Cannon rule the day, every man is still issued a sword for when the fight gets up close and personal. Natural Weapons: Claws, teeth, spikes, heads, anything that an animal has attached to it for fighting. Spear: A favored weapon of more professional Companies, a Spearmen is one of the more versatile fighters on the field. Able to engage an enemy further away and keep them at bay, Spears are also useful in hunting Beasts as with the addition of a crossbar, they can be used to spear the animal without fear of it running up the haft and goring the wielder. The skilled can even toss a spear, a decent distance, and use it as a makeshift ranged weapon.