Thrackdown: Post-Apocalyptic Skirmish Wargame

Thrackdown is a free, fast-paced, miniature-agnostic science-fiction skirmish game for two players. Currently in an open-alpha testing phase, the game is designed to be highly accessible and deeply focused on kitbashing and custom narrative modeling.

The official Thrackdown game files are distributed entirely for free, allowing players to jump in using any models or terrain they already own.

The Lore and Setting

The game takes place on Nova Eden, a planet that was once the crowning jewel of human space expansion. Following “The Collapse”—a catastrophic era marked by unethical fleshcrafting experiments, devastating rogue machine wars, and the sudden failure of interstellar networks—the planet has become a dark, silent wasteland.

Players control small warbands scraping for survival, power, and resources among decaying settlements, industrial ruins, and the bones of a dead future.

Gameplay Mechanics

- Warband Scale: Instead of massive armies, players command tight, personal crews typically consisting of 6 to 8 fighters.
- Alternating Activations: Players alternate activating a single fighter at a time. This creates a back-and-forth dynamic where tactical changes happen rapidly.
- Core Actions: During their turn, fighters can move, shoot, engage in melee combat, interact with objectives, or support nearby allies.
- The Nerve System: Battlefield pressure and incoming attacks accumulate as “Nerve” tokens. High Nerve can cause your fighters to flinch, freeze, or completely panic under fire.
- Momentum and Surges: Pulling off daring maneuvers generates “Momentum”. Players can spend this resource to trigger powerful “Surges” at turning points in the battle.
- Objective-Based Scoring: Victory is determined by points scored from completing scenario goals (like securing loot crates) and putting enemy models out of action.

Thrackdown is miniature-agnostic, there are no official miniatures produced for the game. The creators explicitly design the game to encourage players to build characters out of spare parts, use proxies, and scratch-build post-apocalyptic terrain.

Guidelines for proxies are simple and flexible:

- 25mm bases: Standard fighters with 1–2 Hit Points (HP).
- 28mm to 32mm bases: Elite or hardened fighters with roughly 3 HP.
- 40mm bases: Large, heavy bruisers with 4 HP.

Factions

The open-alpha rules feature six distinct factions. Each has its own distinct visual identity, mechanical traits, and unique Surge abilities, including:

Scavver Clades: Roaming crews carrying survival gear on their backs, utilizing tools converted into scrap weapons.
Iron Pact: A rag-tag military column of veterans utilizing battered, mismatched, but highly disciplined tactical gear.
Crimson Veil: A dark, caste-based society juxtaposing elegant, high-collared nobles against ragged, masked thralls.
Ashen Covenant: Devout, robed doomsday pilgrims covered in keys, holy scriptures, and scorch marks.

Genre: Apocalypse

Scale: 25 mm, 28 mm, 32 mm

Average Models per Side: Less than 10

Number of Players: 2

Miniatures: Agnostic

Rules: Basic Rules Free PDF

Availability: Upcoming Release

Publisher: Wargame Geeks

Designers: Chris Mooney

Year Released: 2026

Website: Thrackdown

Additional Information:

This game is currently available in Alpha Playtesting for free

You can access the rules here

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Facebook: Thrackdown Page

Warband Builder: https://thrackdown.com/warband-builder