Zone Mortalis (Game)

Zone Mortalis (Game) redirects here. For the in-universe meaning, see Zone Mortalis.

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The Horus Heresy (Game)

Zone Mortalis (Game)

a game of Zone Mortalis^[11]
Designer(s)	Specialist Design Studio
Manufacturer	Games Workshop
Players	2

Zone Mortalis is a specialized game mode introduced in Forge World Publications that emphasizes brutal, close-quarters combat in confined environments such as starships, underground bunkers, or dense urban ruins. Unlike the expansive battlefields of standard Horus Heresy games, Zone Mortalis features tight, maze-like layouts where movement is restricted, and sight lines are limited.^[11]

Publication History

The Zone Mortalis game mode history is tied to the rise of Forge World as a significant contributor to Games Workshop's offerings.

Imperial Armour Prototype

The concept of tight, close-quarters combat began appearing in Forge World supplements and Imperial Armour books during the 2000s. However, the Zone Mortalis as a distinct game mode wasn't explicitly named yet.

in The Anphelion Project, The Anphelion Base was a mission only available to infantry units, and was to be played with a specific Terrain set depicting a research facility.^[1]

in The Badab War - Part One, a set of rules titled Boarding Actions provided detailed rules for small-scale skirmishes in confined environments.^[2]

in The Doom of Mymeara, a single mission, Espace from the Depths, pits an Imperial Army without Tanks or Skimmers against an escaping force of Eldars who just awoke the Phoenix Lord Irillyth.^[3]

Zone Mortalis

The first dedicated Zone Mortalis ruleset was released by Forge World in 2012. It was published as a downloadable PDF, titled Zone Mortalis: Deadly Close-Quarter Battles in the Labyrinth and Vaults of the 41st Millenium.^[4]

The Horus Heresy Book I: Betrayal, published in 2012, officially integrated Zone Mortalis into the Horus Heresy campaign system. This book expanded the use of Zone Mortalis for narrative-driven skirmishes during the galactic civil war.^[5] Those rules were also included in The Fall of Orpheus^[6]

Subsequent Horus Heresy books continued to support and expand the rules for Zone Mortalis, making it a staple for boarding actions and tight space engagements.^[7]

With the revival of Necromunda in 2017, Zone Mortalis-style rules found a new home. The boxed set Necromunda: Underhive was heavily inspired by Zone Mortalis, with its focus on close-quarters combat in the tunnels and structures of a hive city.^[8] The release of Necromunda: Dark Uprising in 2019 further cemented the connection, offering terrain kits specifically designed for the Zone Mortalis style.^[9]

Eventually, the 2nd Edition of Horus Heresy saw a refresh of the rules, first in White Dwarf^[10], and then in the Siege of Cthonia expansion.^[11]