Welcome to the Dystopian Age

Cannons thunder in the distance, tearing through the fog. On the tumultuous waves, an armada of steel behemoths propelled by the crackling energy of Sturginium exchanges devastating artillery broadsides. The ocean seethes under the fury of this titanic clash, overflown by the menacing shadow of immense rotor-driven aircraft.
Far from the coast, the calm before the storm is heavy and oppressive. In the mud of the battlefields, infantry regiments hold their breath, hands tightly gripping their rifles, eyes fixed on the horizon where the colossal silhouettes of landships are already looming. Engines scream, mechanized cavalry charges forward, and the inevitable clash of industrial warfare is about to shake the continent.

A World on the Brink of Conflagration

What if the 19th century had taken a different turn? Welcome to The Dystopian Age, an alternate history universe set in the 1870s, where history diverged to give rise to an era of meteoric progress, extreme tensions, and mysteries from beyond. Here, the industrial revolution went into overdrive, propelling humanity toward technologies far ahead of its time… without giving it the time to master the consequences.

A Scientific Revolution Out of Control

At the heart of this upheaval lies a secret society: the Covenant of the Enlightened. Thanks to improbable discoveries (new energy sources, unknown materials, advanced weaponry), these scientists pushed humanity into a technological leap forward for which it was utterly unprepared.

This progress, which the Covenant sought to conceal, came at a price. Deployed without safeguards, these innovations militarized the world on an unprecedented scale. Now, gigantic warships bristling with experimental weapons sail the oceans, fleets of airships dominate the skies, and massive land ironclads devastate the battlefields.

Science has outpaced morality, and no one seems able to regain control.

Eight Great Powers… and Zero Trust

The world is no longer structured around independent nations, but around rival geopolitical blocs. Eight great factions dominate the international stage:

• the Imperium, a militaristic juggernaut of Central Europe featuring mechanized elite troops
• the Sultanate, heir to the Ottoman Empire, which uses portal technology on the battlefields
• the Latin Alliance, an alliance formed by France, Spain, Italy, and the communist nations of South America to defend their interests, promoting the importance of Faith and a rejection of the most dangerous technologies
• the Commonwealth, a coalition formed by Poland and Russia, and the only power that could be described as a democracy
• the British Crown, an imperial power that remains dominant but is on the decline
• the Celestian Empire, the Far East gathered under a single banner and led by their immortal Emperors
• the Union of Federated States, heir to the young United States, transformed into an industrial and militaristic powerhouse
• the Covenant of the Enlightened, an independent gathering of scientists entrenched in Antarctica around the ruins of an alien spaceship, employing experimental technologies

The Invisible War: Alien Influences

Behind human conflicts actually lie hidden alien forces using humanity in their age-old struggle. Their influence is perceptible across all games in the range, but only takes the form of a tangible presence at the smallest scale.

The Hex is an ancient entity that took refuge on Earth to escape its enemies. It has no concept of good or evil. It draws the victims and the persecuted to itself, using them to manipulate and infiltrate human societies. Notably, the Hex controls the elites of the Celestian Empire, serving as the source of its leaders’ alleged immortality. Its influence brings power… but also mutation, dependency, and corruption.

The Order comes from a realm of pure energy. It tracks the Hex across numerous worlds, and its crusade has brought it to Earth. Its allies, such as the Sultanat and the Alliance, do not fully understand this entity shrouded in mystery and doctrine. The Order urges its followers to transcend human limits and morality, assuring them that their struggle is righteous and will prevent the destruction of the world.

Finally, the Watchers Hegemony is a group of species dedicated to preserving peace in the galaxy. They discovered that the Order and the Hex have interfered with humanity’s development. Now, they are attempting to purge this influence. The mysterious alien ruins discovered in Antarctica belong to one of their ships. The survivors are trying to gather the necessary materials to contact their kind. Meanwhile, they continue their mission to eliminate the Order, the Hex, and the humans under their control.

Humanity is therefore not merely divided into nations. It is also a pawn in a cosmic war that completely surpasses it. Ironically, those who wished to preserve humanity from external influences are the ones who contributed the most to recent technological developments.

An Uncertain Future

Despite speeches of progress, freedom, or unity, every faction is ready to do whatever it takes to survive or dominate. Increased surveillance, political repression, the exploitation of new technologies, and temporary, opportunistic alliances make up the daily life of millions of people. In this world, peace is a fragile illusion.

Each power observes, spies on, gauges, and arms themselves against one another. This world is on the brink of a global war, but no side has yet officially triggered the conflict. The situation is explosive. The slightest spark could push everything over the edge.

One Universe, Several Battlefields

One of the strengths of The Dystopian Age is its adaptation into several games, exploring a different theater and scale of conflict. Each reveals a distinct facet of this rich universe, ranging from grand military strategies to more intimate, narrative-driven clashes. I will introduce these games in greater detail soon, but here is a brief overview.

Dystopian Wars

Massive naval and aerial battles. Fleets of battleships, experimental submarines, and flying armadas clash for world supremacy.

This game entered its 4th edition in late 2025. The system was overhauled, making it more accessible and dynamic. If you are familiar with this game but were previously disappointed by its complexity, it certainly deserves another try now. Actions are resolved with handfuls of 6-sided dice, but cards spice things up, offering special abilities or extra victory points when activated.

Armoured Clash

Large-scale land conflicts. Hordes of infantry, heavy armor squadrons, and titanic war machines clash in brutal industrial battles.

The game was released in late 2024, and since late 2025, each faction now has its core box containing enough to recruit a standard-sized army. The system shares many similarities with the 4th edition of Dystopian Wars. Both games share the same DNA, such as the use of dice and cards, but feature nuances that reflect their unique setting. Combat actions—both shooting and melee—have 3 levels of difficulty (favored, neutral, or unfavored) determined by the sum of the action’s modifiers. The final difficulty level dictates which dice results can be rerolled to improve the result. It is simple yet perfectly suited to the game’s scale.

Wild West Exodus

Tactical skirmishes in a reimagined American West, blending western, science fiction, and alien influences. This is where secret plots, Hex agents, Order hunters, and Watchers members clash directly.

This game is somewhat different from the other two. While it also features alternating activation and uses dice and cards to score points or activate special abilities, the similarity ends there. For example, the dice used here are 10-sided. Before each activation phase, each player draws a card from their deck. This card influences the number of actions an unactivated unit can perform this turn. Players must constantly balance the timing of their actions, the number of moves to make, and the chance that a better card might come along later.

Scaling Up and Game Duration

One flaw of wargames is that usually, increasing the size of the clash increases not only the playing surface but also the time required for the match. Dystopian Wars and Armoured Clash attempt to solve this problem by encouraging players to increase the size of units rather than their number. An army is made up of one or more Forces, which are more or less specialized detachments. Each part of the army therefore has its own troop type limits and a special rule. Aside from the iconic troops of the chosen Force, each unit can only be fielded once in a detachment.

This results in a real escalation of power—your units are larger and roll more dice, but your opponent’s striking power is normally matched. In the end, the battle feels more epic without drastically increasing the complexity of the match. This is particularly noticeable when transitioning from the smallest tier (‘Skirmish’, around 1,000 points) to the medium tier (‘Clash’, around 2,000 points), which seems to be establishing itself as the tournament standard.

Conclusion

The Dystopian Age is a dense and fascinating universe at the crossroads of alternate history, science fiction, steampunk, and cosmic horror. The latter is mostly prominent in Wild West Exodus, while the other two lean closer to pure steampunk.

It is a world where technology has outstripped wisdom, where major powers play with forces they do not comprehend… and where total war feels inevitable. Each side is trying to position its pieces favorably for the clashes to come. The only question that remains is: who will fire first?