Filth of Yersynis is a post-apocalyptic skirmish wargame by Xavier Adams, a first-time indie developer from the UK. Games can vary in length, with standard games taking 60-90 minutes, and it is recommended to have 2-4 players. It’s inspired by Doom Metal music, body horror, and surreal humour; with a focus on kitbashing and creative freedom when building miniatures from any of the five grotesque factions.
The rules are written to encourage customisation and experimentation, intended for all audiences of any skill level. It combines skirmish wargames with role playing elements, as your units learn new skills, progress through narrative campaigns, and make a name for themselves in a bloody, amoral world.
Yersynis wouldn’t be the game it is without incredible art, and two of the artists Alice Rose
and Jilt, with more contributions from GrimHiveMiniatures. Alice is the original artist behind some of the most well-known Yersynis art, and her work has shaped the game itself from the very start, giving the disgusting killers of Yersynis their own unique looks.
Rules
Filth of Yersynis uses an alternate activation system, ensuring all players are always in the action. Games use a number of d6s, and each player controls a warband of around 8 miniatures, equipped with weapons from the universal armoury, and a list of faction-specific gear.
Every unit type has their own profile, including a number of Violence Points used to perform actions. The cost of actions increases with each use in the same round, meaning tactical planning of your turn and Violence Point economy is vital.
Other key features of Filth of Yersynis are the Butcher’s Table and Mutations, rules that detail the disgusting injuries and strange transformations that affect your units as they engage in ultra-violent fast paced combat. For example, your leader might lose an arm in battle, only to gain extra eyeballs in the next round; or one of your expendable Meat units might mutate to possess organic armour, only to permanently die moments later.
Looting is also a great way to expand your warband’s equipment. Kill an enemy, and take their belongings for your own, selling them off for profit, or equipping them on your models.
Of course, no matter how carefully you plan your turns, it’s a harsh truth that your warband aren’t elite fighters. Each faction has a Blessing, a powerful ability that can turn the tide of battle, and a Curse, a major drawback that ties in with the lore. These aren’t heroes, they’re poorly-armed zealots fighting for reasons they don’t understand.
Lore and Factions
Filth of Yersynis takes place in a world brought to ruin by a god-like being known by many names: Green Executioner, Planet Eater, Fell Rider. Assumed to be the fifth horseman of the apocalypse, it rampaged across the land, destroying all in its path.
Hundreds of years since the Collapse, society has rebuilt around 3 major groups:
- The Weedian Priests: an incense-breathing order of preachers from the Nuclayan Forests of the southeast, who venture out on pilgrimages to the Mountain at the centre of the world, the mythical birthplace of the Rider. Carrying automatic weapons, fighting alongside monstrous Vassal bodyguards and devoted Skab-gangers, they excel at mid-range, able to shoot even when the enemy acts. However, their reliance on their sacred incense means they are heavily short sighted, almost blinded by constant narcotic inhalation.
- The Amplifyerr Cult: mortal enemies of the Weedian Priests, they seek to tear down worship of the Rider, and install their mysterious leader, the Frog Witch, as the one true deity of Yersynis. They live in the southwestern swamps of the Sludgemarsh, building their cities out of rotten wood, decayed metal and slimy rocks, and fight using improvised weaponry. They carry giant speakers into battle, making noise loud enough to stop enemy communication and worsen the effectiveness of orders. However, they are connected by a hive mind. If the cultists get too far away from each other, this hive mind fails, and they become disconnected and unstable.
- The Desert Legion: raiders, murderers and pirates, the Desert Legion is a collective name for the hundreds of raider gangs that inhabit the Barren Sea, a dried-out ocean in the centre of Yersynis. It is an inhospitable place, yet the Legion have thrived here, and are among the few who know how to safely navigate it. They are led from the city of Scraphole, the capital of the Barren Sea, a city of rust and metal built around a still-functioning artillery battery. Survivors in the most desolate of places, they can blend in to the wasteland, leaving their enemies struggling to find their targets, before ambushing them with a variety of sadistic weapons crafted from repurposed naval tools. However, they’re selfish raiders at heart. If one of your warband gets too comfortable, and loots too many bodies, the other members of your warband will attack them to claim the rewards for themselves.
- The Hallucinauts: across the icy northern ocean, horror stories circulate of the Hallucinauts. Survivors of the Rider, they were the brutal and authoritarian soldiers of the world before. Arrogant, but possessing highly advanced equipment, they mutated horribly in their fortress-bunker of Ilorloch, becoming tall, spindly monsters. Now, they seek to reclaim control over the world they once ruled, and crush all in their path, as evil on the outside as they always were on the inside. Their warbands are smaller than other factions, but possess stronger stats, and some of the most powerful weapons in the game. However, their own hatred of mutation, coupled with their metamorphosis, means each Hallucinaut loathes themselves. Enjoy causing fear to all your enemies, and using superior wargear, but one mistake could have your warband screaming and lashing out in anger.
- Tribes of Yersynis: not all people who inhabit this dark world choose to fight for the factions, instead forming their own tribes, gangs, or other strange group, and taking on the wasteland themselves. This is a faction for the truly creative kitbashers, who want to create their entire warband from the ground up. While they may not have the resources of the other groups in Yersynis, the Tribes are resourceful, able to use weapons and equipment from any faction, as well as recruiting powerful Mercenaries to lead their forces. Expect changing stats, unique units and ever-changing gameplay with the Tribes.
Conclusions
Filth of Yersynis is free to play and miniature agnostic, with the base game rules and lore available via the game’s instagram (@yersynis_game), in the dedicated linktree, or through the official Discord server (opening soon). The first expansion, The Gospel of Gore, is also free, and contains rules for fighters gaining experience, warband reputation, and narrative campaigns.
While official miniatures will eventually become a reality, I’d prefer people to jump straight into the violence and madness of Yersynis, and would encourage players to kitbash their own warbands, or to use existing miniatures as proxies.
The game is a unique blend of skirmish combat and deep customising mechanics, ensuring that every warband feels different, even within the same faction. Besides, despite their differences, all warbands are united by one simple truth: “This is Yersynis. They’re going to die.”.