# Forgotten Ruin: the Adventure Wargame tags: #game/adventure-wargame/forgotten-ruin ![[Forgotten Ruin (cover).jpg]] The battlefield has never looked like this — and neither has your ammo expenditure. **Forgotten Ruin: the Adventure Wargame** (published by **Modiphius**, based on the *Forgotten Ruin* novel series) is a solo or cooperative tabletop miniatures game about a platoon of modern Rangers stranded in a world of orcs, sorcerers, and dragons, pitting state-of-the-art firepower against fantastical monsters. Powered by the **"Five X"** game system from **Five Leagues from the Borderlands** and **Five Parsecs from Home**, it's a 160-page full-colour hardback that does exactly what the tagline promises: command your squad while the rules run the enemy, and hope the orc horde runs out before the ammunition does. ## Core Mechanics — the Five X system ### The Battle Round & Reaction Roll Each battle round opens with a **Reaction Roll** to decide who acts when. Roll a D6 for every soldier on the table, plus an extra die for each soldier with **Leadership**, then assign one die to each soldier: - A die **equal to or under** the soldier's **Reactions** score → they act in the **Quick Actions Phase**. - A die **higher** → they're consigned to the **Slow Actions Phase**. The enemy, blessedly predictable, always acts in the **Enemy Actions Phase**, sandwiched between your Quick and Slow phases. ### Combat - **Shooting**: roll the weapon's attack dice, add the soldier's **Combat Skill**, and meet or beat a target number set by range and cover — an open target at close range is easy; a target in cover is a much harder proposition. - **Hand-to-hand**: a simultaneous affair — both sides roll a die plus **Combat Skill**, and the lower total takes a **Hit** (and is pushed back), with a draw hurting both. - **Hit Resolution**: roll a die plus the weapon's **damage rating** against the target's **Toughness** — meet or beat it and they're a **casualty**; fall short and soldiers are **stunned** while enemies shrug it off. Some creatures get a **saving throw** that can void the Hit entirely. Beyond the basics the book layers in **Snap Fire and Delays**, the **Aggression Phase**, **Great Hits**, **Luck**, **Explosions**, **off-map Fire Support**, **Leadership Tactics**, spells, and an **Enemy Action Phase** with morale, **Villain Plans**, and **Big Monsters**. It's miniature- and scale-agnostic — any minis in your collection will do. ### Campaigns The real meat is the **procedurally generated campaign** (straight out of the Five-X lineage): you **create your squad of nine soldiers**, build a map, and choose between **High and Low Magic**; then you loop a **campaign sequence** — take a rest, request help from allies, commit soldiers to side tasks — chasing **Victory Points** across an episodic, story-rich arc. Play it solo, or split your squad into two fire teams / hand one player the enemy like a Game Master. ## In the library The library holds the **Adventure Wargame** (by **Ivan Sorensen**, Modiphius) with **two versions** — the early **v131224** and the current **v250225** — plus the **Platoon Sheets** and **Fillable Platoon Sheets** as companion documents, all linked in Calibre as one version-family (`#version`/`#related`). Also in the library is **Beyond the Landing Zone** by **Matt "Syllogy" Mason** — but note it's an **unofficial fan-made supplement** that *requires* the official Forgotten Ruin rules (it's a campaign extension that adds starter material and modules rather than replacing core procedures). Because it's not a standalone product, it's folded in here rather than given its own note. ## References - [Forgotten Ruin - The Adventure Wargame - Modiphius](https://modiphius.us/products/forgotten-ruin-the-adventure-wargame) - [Game Review: Forgotten Ruin by Modiphius - Woehammer](https://woehammer.com/2025/03/28/game-review-forgotten-ruin-by-modiphius/) - [Forgotten Ruin Series by Jason Anspach - Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/series/312615-forgotten-ruin) > [!note] Editor's Note > > Related games from the same designer (Ivan Sorensen) / the Five X family include: > > - [[Five Parsecs From Home]] > - [[Five Parsecs from Home - Tactics|Five Parsecs from Home: Tactics]] > - [[Five Leagues from the Borderlands]]