About Melee
Melee was Steve Jackson’s second published game design and the combat core of The Fantasy Trip roleplaying game. Each counter is a single warrior: you build a fighter in a few minutes, pick weapons and armour, and send them into the arena. Winners get stronger and faster for the next fight; losers die. Steve Jackson Games now gives the PDF away at no charge on its Warehouse 23 store (a 2022 announcement also mentions DriveThruRPG).
It is a good introduction to tactical miniatures-style games for two players or more (“2+” on the publisher page) from age 10, and a natural first step into The Fantasy Trip.
How to play in one minute
- Create a fighter by splitting points between strength (ST) and dexterity (DX), then buy weapons and armour that your strength allows.
- Place the counters on the hex arena map, facing the way you choose.
- Each turn, roll for initiative, then move. A figure that ends next to an enemy is engaged and moves less freely.
- To attack, roll three dice: equal to or below your adjusted DX is a hit. Roll the weapon’s damage and subtract armour; the rest comes off the target’s ST.
- A figure at 0 ST is out. The last side standing wins, and survivors gain experience for the next fight.
What’s in the PDF
- The Melee rules in English. Warehouse 23 does not list the contents of the PDF; the boxed version has a rulebook, a 12” x 22.5” map, 86 counters and 3 dice.
- Add the $0 PDF to your cart on Warehouse 23 and check out to download it. We could not open the file, so the page count is not listed here.
- Print the counters on card stock, or use coins and tokens on a hex grid.
FantasyGladiatorsArenaHex GridDice RollingTactical CombatCharacter Creation