I put in a LOT of work on DANGER CLOSE, my tactical military skirmish solo TTRPG. It’s been a lot of editing, tweaking and streamlining based on all the playtesting that’s been happening, especially in my Discord campaign.

Cover image: Cadia Stands by KoBOng

The core design philosophy has remained unchanged:

DANGER CLOSE gives you a whole imaginary war at the range of five troopers. If you’ve ever pushed a squad across a wargame table and found yourself caring what happened to them, this is that game, told from inside the squad. Any setting, any scale, no board and no minis. It is designed to generate tense tactical decisions, stories of heroics, bravery and camaraderie, and perseverance against overwhelming forces.

Recently, I…

• …updated and streamlined the free SRD, which you can go check out RIGHT NOW
• …went through the entire Commander’s Toolkit and made sure it matches the new rules
• …redid the entire layout, to make sure that HodagRPG‘s illustrations shine like never before

We’re now at version v0.99, which means that I’m basically considering it complete – except that I’m assuming there’s still some final errors to edit out, hence not quite v1.0 yet.

So… let me show you how everything works!

A Session of DANGER CLOSE

This is a Basic Rules playthrough, nothing from the Commander’s Toolkit. Every roll is shown.

I’ve decided to set it in the world of Warhammer 40k. This means we get to do some reflavoring:

• Assault Rifles become lasguns
• Drone Gear becomes a Servo-skull
• LMG becomes a Heavy Stubber
• Marksman Rifle becomes a longlas

For clarity’s sake, I’ll stick to the original DANGER CLOSE terms in the text below.

A Note on Positions

Every Trooper holds two positions at once. An Offensive Position covering their ability to hurt the enemy, and a Defensive Position covering their ability to survive. They’re written as a pair: Flanking / In Cover, Limited / Fortified.

Offensive: Limited, Engaged, Flanking. Flanking adds dice to the Squad’s attack. Limited subtracts one.

Defensive: Flanked, In Cover, Fortified. Each step up makes a Trooper harder to hit. Flanked Troopers can’t hit the dirt to escape incoming fire the way others can.

The two pull against each other. Better angles usually mean less cover, and the reverse. Most of the decisions below are about which one to trade for the other, and when.

Positions are a state, not a place on a map. Flanked doesn’t mean the enemy is literally behind you, it means you’re in trouble and running out of ways to avoid it.

The Squad

Second Section, 44th Kelmar Field Levy. Five Guardsmen holding a grain-processing yard on an agri-world nobody in Command could point to on a star chart before the greenskins showed up.

• Sergeant Garus (Steady). Assault Rifle, Medium Armor. Mobility 4, Grit 1, Ammo 3.
• Trooper Pell (Technical). Assault Rifle, Drone Gear, Medium Armor. Mobility 3, Grit 1, Ammo 3.
• Trooper Kest (Forceful). Assault Rifle, LMG, Medium Armor. Mobility 3, Grit 1, Ammo 3.
• Trooper Olan (Sharp). Marksman Rifle, Medium Armor. Mobility 4, Grit 1, Ammo 3.
• Trooper Kasan (Steady). Assault Rifle, Medic Gear (d8), Medium Armor. Mobility 3, Grit 1, Ammo 3.

How an Exchange Works

Everything below plays out in Exchanges, rounds of combat that repeat until the fight is decided. Each one runs the same five steps:

1. Intent. Every Trooper still able to act picks one thing to focus on: Fire, Move, Covering Fire, Interact, and so on.
2. Offense Roll. The Squad’s ATK pools into a single roll that decides whether the fight tips their way.
3. Defense Rolls. Each Trooper rolls to survive whatever’s coming back at them.
4. Momentum. The result of the Offense Roll shifts who’s winning the field.
5. Enemy Tactics. The enemy gets a chance to press the advantage, if they have one.

Full rules are in the free Basic Rules SRD or on Itch.io.

The Sector

Threshing Floor / C3 / S3 / TL2

Grain silos and a gutted harvester line on the edge of Combine Nine. Scattered machinery and low retaining walls, enough open ground between them to move if you’re willing to be seen doing it.

• C3 (Cover 3) means three Troopers can be Fortified here.
• S3 (Space 3) means three can be Flanking.
• Threat Level 2 is a real fight, not a skirmish.

Worth noting for later: Normal Cover means Olan’s Marksman Rifle sits flat. It wants Exposed ground for its +1 ATK and hates Dense for the same reason. Here it’s just a rifle.

From the private journal of Trooper D. Olan, transcribed at his request.

They dropped us short of the silos before dawn and told us the greenskins were still an hour out. They were wrong by about fifty minutes.

The Advance

Rules. Before entering a Sector that holds a Threat, the Squad declares a posture: Bounding, Assault, or Stealth. It is a decision, not a roll. Then a Contact Roll (1d6) is read against that posture’s column, and a Threat Roll (1d6) checks whether the enemy spoils it. The result sets Momentum and every Trooper’s starting position.

The call. This is first contact on a long day, and the squad carries everything it will have for the rest of it. Assault buys a shot at OVERWHELM, routing the greenskins outright with no Engagement at all, but it costs 2 Ammo before a die is thrown and turns any Contact Roll of 3 or under into AMBUSHED. That’s a coin-flip chance of opening at LOSING GROUND with all five Troopers Flanked. Stealth isn’t available: the orks have been shelling Combine Nine since midnight and know exactly where the line sits.

So: Bounding. The Bounding column is d6 roll, with a 1 for AMBUSHED, a 6 for SURPRISE, and SPOTTED for 2-5. It’s the posture that trades a shot at a free win for a floor under the disaster, and Garus wants his Ammo in the pouches when the real work starts.

Pell’s Drone Gear adds +1 to the Contact Roll. No Edge in play: dawn light on flat agri-ground, dust in the air, neither side’s optics or drills count for much. First Advance of the mission, so no Fatigue on the Threat Roll either.

CONTACT ROLL: 1d6, +1 (Drone Gear)
Result: 3 + 1 = 4  ->  SPOTTED (Bounding)
THREAT ROLL: 1d6 vs TL2
Result: 5  ->  above TL, no degradation

SPOTTED. Momentum opens CONTESTED. All five Troopers start Engaged / In Cover. Pressure opens at 2, matching Threat Level.

Pell’s drone caught them first, a smear of movement between the number three and four silos, and we had maybe thirty seconds to find something solid.

Exchange 1. First Contact

Rules. Pressure is the opening weight of fire, set to Threat Level when the Engagement begins. Each point subtracts 1 ATK from the Squad’s pool during the Offense Roll. It comes off as the Squad takes ground: 1 point per step of Momentum gained. The Squad’s first Exchange is its worst, and it gets better from there or the Squad doesn’t get better at all.

The call. Nobody’s moved, and 2 Pressure means the pool is nearly halved before a die hits the table. Garus keeps it simple. Everybody fires, nobody freelances. Find out what’s out there before spending a Trooper on a maneuver.

All five Fire for 1 ATK each. 5 ATK, minus 2 Pressure. Pool: 3.

OFFENSE ROLL: 3d6, take highest
Result: 3, 4, 2  ->  4

Rules. A 4 or 5 on the Offense Roll offers a choice. Hold Position gives every Trooper +1 DEF this Exchange and no Momentum change. Success at a Cost gains +1 Momentum, but the most at-risk Trooper takes -1 DEF and an extra Injury if they’re hit.

The call. Success at a Cost is tempting: a Momentum step also strips a point of Pressure, which is worth a die on every future roll. But every Trooper is In Cover with a clean record, so “most at-risk” is a five-way tie decided at random. Garus can’t steer the cost onto anyone he’d choose. He takes Hold Position instead, buying +1 DEF for the whole squad in the Exchange where the enemy is best set.

DEFENSE ROLLS: 2d6 each (1 base DEF, +1 Hold Position)
Take highest; everyone IN COVER means Direct Fire on a 1 or a 2.
Garus: 3, 5  ->  5   Safe
Pell:  1, 3  ->  3   Safe
Kest:  6, 3  ->  6   Safe
Olan:  1, 3  ->  3   Safe
Kasan: 2, 5  ->  5   Safe

Enemy Tactics: 1d6, the enemy presses on a result equal to or under Threat Level. Result: 5. No push.

First volley went out ragged. You could hear it, everybody finding the range at once, nobody’s rifle matching anybody else’s rhythm. Return fire came back high and wide and chewed up the silo wall a metre above my head.

Exchange 2. Working an Angle

Rules. Move Up shifts a Trooper’s Offensive Position to Flanking, which unlocks a Flanking Bonus of +1 to +3 ATK depending on Mobility. Whether it goes clean depends on a Mobility Check: 1d6, equal or under the Trooper’s Mobility (which in turn is set by how much gear a Trooper is carrying around). Success leaves them In Cover, failure leaves them Flanked.
Move Up means you improve offense with your defense at risk.
Fall Back works in reverse; you get a guaranteed gain on defense, while risking your offense.

The call. Standing and trading shots from Engaged isn’t winning anything, and Hold Position didn’t shift Momentum or Pressure, so the pool is still short. Somebody has to buy dice with risk. Olan goes wide toward the harvester line for an angle on the yard. At Mobility 4 that’s a +2 ATK Flanking Bonus from next Exchange onward (on top of his regular +1 ATK when firing), which is worth more than the single shot he gives up crossing.
One of the other Troopers could’ve provided Covering Fire for Olan, which would’ve granted him +1 DEF and +1 Mobility (since he’s Moving Up). That does mean that there’s one less barrel aimed at the Orks, however, so in this case, we don’t.

MOBILITY CHECK: 1d6 <= 4
Result: 3  ->  Success

Olan reaches Flanking / In Cover. One of three Flanking slots filled.

Offense Roll. Garus, Pell, Kest, and Kasan Fire. 4 ATK minus 2 Pressure (still 2, because Hold Position gains no Momentum). Pool: 2.

OFFENSE ROLL: 2d6, take highest
Result: 2, 6  ->  6

Success. One 6 rolled, +1 Momentum. CONTESTED becomes GAINING GROUND. Pressure drops 1 per step gained: down to 1.

DEFENSE ROLLS: 1d6 each (1 base DEF)
Everyone IN COVER means Injury on a 1 or a 2.
Garus: 6   Safe
Pell:  2   Direct Fire
Kest:  4   Safe
Olan:  5   Safe
Kasan: 3   Safe

Rules. Direct Fire is a choice, not a verdict. Take the Injuries and roll a Death Save, or hit the dirt and go Suppressed. At Threat Level 2 Suppressed does not incur Injuries (TL 3 and TL 4 means a Suppressed Trooper still takes 1 Injury), but a Suppressed Trooper can only Move or Interact next Exchange. No firing, no gear, no improvising.
Even worse: A Suppressed Trooper cannot go Suppressed again, so if Pell is hit again, he takes Injuries. Pell can clear the status by succeeding on his next Defense Roll (possibly aided by Covering Fire from other Troopers, as that gives + DEF) or by Falling Back (and becoming Fortified).

Pell goes Suppressed. That’s one ATK die out of the squad’s pool next Exchange, in trade for a wound he doesn’t take.

Momentum Resolution. Olan is Flanking / In Cover. However, since Momentum was gained, the frontline shifts a bit. Olan worked hard for his Flanking position, so moves up along with it, but this puts him at risk. He is now Flanking / Flanked.

Rules. Momentum is not free. When the Squad gains it, Flanking Troopers degrade Defensive Position (they move up to stay flanking, but thus take a risk) and Fortified Troopers take -1 ATK next Exchange (they’re relatively safe, but running out of things to shoot as ground is gained). Winning ground costs something on the way through.

Enemy Tactics

1d6 result 2, equal to Threat Level, so the enemy presses. Second roll for the effect:

ENEMY TACTICS EFFECT: 1d6
Result: 4  ->  Press. Every Flanking and Engaged Trooper
               drops one step of Defensive Position.

That’s all five, every one of them In Cover, all dropping to Flanked. It catches Olan alone at the end of the flank he just paid a whole Exchange to reach. Even worse, Olan is already Flanked (as per Momentum Resolution), so this tactic would see him take -1 DEF (if your Defensive Position degrades past Flanked, take -1 DEF, instead).

Garus spends his one Grit to nullify the Tactic. Sergeant’s privilege, once, and now it’s gone.

Pell hit the deck before the round landed anywhere near him. Then a whole wave of green came round the north silo, all moving the same way at once. Somebody had told them to push the flank.

Garus called it over the vox, three words. Kest’s LMG swung off the treeline before anybody asked why. Eight or nine went down before the rest pulled back behind the wall. The line held, for now.

Rules. Momentum tracks control of the field, not a body count. Nullifying a Tactic, reaching Flanking, going Suppressed: all of these things still involve shooting, taking cover, reloading.
In this case, the Squad took action and took down numerous Orks; it’s just not enough to affect Momentum.
By altering the narration (from “barely managed to wound our foes but we held them off” to “we slew them by the dozens but they kept coming”), you as a player can set the tone for your campaign.

Exchange 3. The Push

The call. Pell can’t shoot, so his Intent is spent either way. Fall Back turns a dead Exchange into a Fortified position and clears his Suppressed status at the end of it. Everyone else fires, Olan included, and the flank starts earning.

MOBILITY CHECK: 1d6 <= 3 (Fall Back)
Result: 4  ->  Failure

Fall Back makes a Trooper Fortified either way. The check only decides what it costs: Pell gets behind the drums but lands badly, ending at Limited / Fortified: safe as houses, and no use to anyone from there. He has 1 Grit and could reroll. He doesn’t, because Suppressed already cost him this Exchange’s action and the Grit is worth more later. That decision comes back in the next Exchange.

His Suppressed clears after this Exchange’s Offense Roll, one of three Fortified slots filled.

Garus, Kest, and Kasan Fire for 1 ATK each. Olan Fires from Flanking: 1 base, plus +2 Flanking Bonus at Mobility 4. Six ATK from Fire. Pressure is 1, so subtract 1. Pool: 5.

OFFENSE ROLL: 5d6, take highest, count 6s
Result: 2, 4, 6, 3, 5  ->  6 (one 6)

Success. +1 Momentum. GAINING GROUND becomes BREAKING THROUGH. Pressure drops to 0 and stays there.

DEFENSE ROLLS: 1d6 each. 
Garus: 5      In Cover:   1-2   Safe
Kest:  1      In Cover:   1-2   Direct Fire
Kasan: 6      In Cover:   1-2   Safe
Pell:  3      Fortified:  1     Safe
Olan:  2      Flanked:    1-3   Direct Fire

Kest takes it standing rather than lose his next action.

INJURY: 1d2 at TL2
Result: 1
DEATH SAVE: 1d6, beat 1
Result: 4  ->  Holds

Olan might want to go Suppressed – except that being Flanked forbids him from doing so. He also takes the Injuries.

INJURY: 1d2 at TL2
Result: 2
DEATH SAVE: 1d6, beat 2
Result: 5  ->  Holds

Two Injuries drop Olan’s Mobility from 4 to 3, which drops his Flanking Bonus from +2 to +1. The angle he bought in Exchange 2 is worth less now than it was an Exchange ago.

Enemy Tactics: 1d6 result 6. No push.

Pell got himself behind the drum line and wedged in so deep he couldn’t see the yard, let alone shoot into it. Safest man on the Threshing Floor and no use to anybody.

Round took me high in the shoulder and spun me half around into the drum I was using for a rest. Kest caught one further down the line and swore in three languages before he got his rifle back up.

Something changed in how they were coming after that volley. Less shape to it. Like whoever had been running that pack was no longer running it.

Exchange 4. Breaking Them

Rules. Momentum runs from DEFEAT up to VICTORY. From BREAKING THROUGH, a single step wins the Engagement outright. A Success that reaches VICTORY ends it there, and Ammo can be spent 1-for-1 to add ATK to the roll that gets you there.

The call. One step left, and last Exchange’s Momentum gain has its teeth in two Troopers. Olan would drop Defensive Position again, from being Flanking during Momentum Gain. He can’t drop further, so gets -1 DEF.
Pell, Fortified, takes -1 ATK for having outrun his angles, stacked on top of the -1 ATK he already has for being Limited. His Fire would be worth -1, actively draining the pool by a die. So he doesn’t fire. He puts Covering Fire on Olan instead, which is worth +1 DEF and costs the Squad nothing it wasn’t already losing.

That’s the shape of a failed Mobility Check two Exchanges later: a Trooper who can’t contribute to the attack, only prop up someone who can.

Kest burns 1 Ammo for an extra ATK die. Garus and Kasan Fire for 1 each. Kest Fires for 1 plus 1 from Ammo. Olan Fires for 1 plus his reduced +1 Flanking Bonus, down from +2 since his Injuries cut his Mobility. Six ATK from Fire. Pressure is 0. Pool: 6.

OFFENSE ROLL: 6d6, take highest, count 6s
Result: 4, 6, 2, 5, 1, 3  ->  6 (one 6)

Success. +1 Momentum. BREAKING THROUGH becomes VICTORY, and the Engagement ends on the Offense Roll.

A plain Success that reaches VICTORY stops the fight where it stands. No Defense Rolls, no Enemy Tactics, nothing.

This also means Olan’s -1 DEF and Pell’s covering fire cancel each other out on paper and neither one ever gets rolled. Both were the correct call at the time they were made. That’s the honest version of a good Exchange: half of what you set up turns out not to have been needed, and you couldn’t have known which half.

Each surviving Trooper clears 1 Injury as the Engagement ends. Kest walks away clean. Olan keeps one.

They broke before we could see it happening, which is how it usually goes. One second there’s a mess of them coming through the gap between the silos, the next it’s just noise moving away from you instead of toward you. Nobody cheered. You’re too tired by the fourth exchange, and there’s always the thought about how many more of them there are.

Kasan checked Kest’s shoulder and mine before her own kit. Pell complained he’d got one pass out of the drone and spent the rest of the fight behind a fuel drum. Garus didn’t say much. He never does, right after.

Writing this down two days later in the back of a supply truck, because Kasan said we should start keeping something. Somebody ought to remember it was four exchanges and not four hours.

After-Action Notes

For anyone following the maths rather than the story: the Bounding advance did exactly what Bounding does, delivering a middling SPOTTED start with every round of Ammo still in the pouches. Momentum ran CONTESTED, GAINING GROUND, BREAKING THROUGH, VICTORY across four Exchanges.

Watch what Pressure did to the shape of it. Two points at the start meant a 5 ATK squad rolling 3 dice. The Hold Position in Exchange 1 was safe but bought nothing, so Exchange 2 opened worse: four shooters and still 2 Pressure, a pool of 2. Pressure only comes off when you take ground, so playing it safe keeps you in the worst part of the fight longer. Olan’s flank was the move that broke the cycle, and it cost him two Injuries and most of his Flanking Bonus by the end.

Pell is the other half: Suppressed in Exchange 2, a failed Fall Back check in Exchange 3, and by Exchange 4 he’s Limited and Fortified and would have subtracted a die from the pool by pulling a trigger. He spent three of four Exchanges contributing nothing to the attack, and none of it was a bad decision. Going Suppressed saved him an Injury. Falling Back cleared the Suppression. The check just came up a 4.

One Grit spent, on the one Enemy Tactic that would have collapsed the flank the squad had paid an Exchange for. One Grit deliberately not spent, on a Mobility Check that cost Pell the rest of the fight. One Ammo spent, in the Exchange where a single extra die closed it out. Two Injuries, both Death Saves held.

Run those same four Exchanges again and Olan’s second Death Save comes up a 1 or a 2 often enough to make the point.

Missions tend to consist of multiple Sectors, and multiple Exchanges. In this case, we could’ve burned more Grit and Ammo to get things over with quicker, but that leaves no reserves.

At its core, DANGER CLOSE is a game where everything goes great until it doesn’t, and I think that captures the spirit of war stories quite well.