The closed rules — locked 2026-07-14
Choose a Faction (your stat bonuses + faction chip) and a Class (your special card access). Spend Level Points on stats, chips, traits, and cards.
12-card deck, drawn down to a hand of 4 (the RPG max, not the board game’s 12). Cards are your action engine AND your resolution mechanic — one unified system for combat and skill checks.
To attack, check, or act — play a card from your hand and add stat + chip + gear bonuses. Meet or beat the target number to succeed.
Chips boost your play mid-action. Spend an Attack chip for damage, a Defense chip to survive, a Draw chip to refill your hand. Spent chips are GONE until next in-game day.
The GM is The Dealer. They set target numbers, run NPC encounters using Color-Number threat tiers, and pace the campaign through the High Nooniverse.
No dice. Cards resolve everything.
To make any check or attack: play a card from your hand and add modifiers (stat + chips + gear + faction/level bonuses). Meet or beat the Target Number to succeed.
Endurance, strength, raw grit
Dexterity, stealth, quickness of hand
Knowledge, memory, reason
Aim, perception, wits
Persuasion, presence, nerve
| Check | Stat | Description | Example TN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye | Sharp | Spot hidden things, catch a tell (natural) | 4 |
| Bluff | Charming | Convince, intimidate, disguise (natural) | 10 |
| Sneak | Agile | Move silently, hide (natural) | 4 |
| Ascertain | Sharp | Read people, put two and two together (natural) | 5 |
| Focus | Smart | Concentration, steady the nerves (natural) | 5 |
| Figure | Sharp | Decipher transcripts, solve riddles (natural) | 5 |
| Booksmart | Smart | Knowledge: history, geography, politics (1 pt) | 5 |
| Conjure Up | Sharp | Craft; jury-rig and fit gear, e.g. Conjure Up x7 to equip a scope (1 pt) | 7 |
| Thievin | Sharp and/or Smart | Pick locks, crack safes, slip cuffs (1 pt) | 4 |
| Lingual | Smart | Languages, one point per tongue | 5 |
This is the central gamble: your chip stack is a finite daily resource. Ante up big to win now, and you ride into the next fight short-handed.
Add to attack value or damage output
Block or reduce incoming damage
Boost movement or act earlier in initiative
Extend weapon range
Gain an additional action this turn
Draw additional cards from your deck
| Level | Level Points | Special Card Pts | Starter Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | +1 | |
| 2 | 19 | +1 | |
| 3 | 21 | +1 | Minion |
| 4 | 23 | +1 | |
| 5 | 25 | +1 | 2nd Character |
| 6 | 27 | +2 | |
| 7 | 29 | +1 | |
| 8 | 31 | +1 | Main Character |
| 9 | 33 | +1 | |
| 10 | 35 | +1 | |
| 11 | 37 | +1 | |
| 12 | 40 | +2 |
| Item | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Speed +1 | +1pt | |
| Range +1 | +1pt | |
| Chip (standard) | +1pt | Attack, Defense, Speed, Range, Draw |
| Action chip | +2pt | Most expensive chip type |
| Shotgun (Range 6) | +1pt | Weapon trait |
| Rifle (Range 15) | +2pt | Weapon trait |
| Blade | -1pt | Grants points back |
| Body | -2pt | Grants points back |
| Character Trait | +3pt | |
| Blade Master | +4pt | |
| Acrobat | +4pt | |
| Quickdraw | +4pt | |
| 3 HP Upgrade | +2pt | Extra HP block |
Factions are one of two character axes (the other is Class). Your faction is your hex chip token on the table. Faction gives stat bonuses + milestone perks at Level 6 and 12.
Upholders of frontier justice. Smart and persuasive.
They shoot first and ask questions never. Built to aim and fire.
Swift and elusive. Masters of terrain and movement.
Disciplined veterans. Hard to kill, hard to rattle.
They always get their mark. Dead or alive — your call.
Rogues who play the angles. Clever and fortified.
Phantom assassins. No terrain can slow them down.
Code-bound warriors. Fast minds, faster blades.
Classes determine which Special Cards you can access. Spend Special Card Points (separate from Level Points) to acquire them. Some require stat qualifications. Omni is the wildcard — pulls from any class.
The classic Western archetype. Plays bounty-hunter style — versatile and deadly at range.
Precision over speed. Pick targets, pick them off.
Close-range combat specialist. Throws, trips, and combos.
Field medic and support. Heals, buffs, keeps the crew alive.
Wildcard. Pulls special cards from ANY class. Unrivaled flexibility at higher point cost.
The Dealer stats encounters using a Color-Number threat system. Each NPC is a pre-built card keyed to a tier — drop them in and run.
High threat — veteran combatants, named enemies
Mid threat — trained fighters, skilled thugs
Low threat — minions, untrained henchmen
| Tier Tag | Character | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Red 3 | Tom (Garrett cards) | Major named villain |
| Red 2 | Rose (Gates cards) | Named lieutenant |
| Blue 1 | Julius (pepperbox) | Skilled thug |
| Blue 3 | Guards | Trained security |
| Green 1 | Buster and Ralph | Minor henchmen |
| Weapon | Attack | Range (sq) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masterful Revolver | 4 | 10 | |
| Percussion Revolver | 3 | 8 | |
| Repeater Pistol | 3 | 9 | |
| Derringer | 3 | 5 | Concealable |
| Pepperbox | 3 | 5 | Multi-barrel |
| Single Action Revolver | 3 | 8 |
| Weapon | Attack | Range (sq) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revolver Rifle | 4 | 18 | |
| Bolt Action | 5 | 20 | |
| Repeater Rifle | 4 | 16 | |
| Elephant Rifle | 6 | 20 | Heavy, high damage |
| Weapon | Attack | Range (sq) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sawed-Off | 9 | 8 | Range falloff, devastating up close |
| Break-Action | 7 | 10 | |
| Pump Action | 7 | 12 |
| Category | Item | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| General Goods | Coffee Beans | Minor buff |
| General Goods | Canned Beans | Sustenance |
| General Goods | Cigarettes | Calm / social |
| General Goods | Aromatic Bitters | Remedy |
| General Goods | Jerky | Sustenance |
| General Goods | Hunting Knife | Melee weapon |
| General Goods | Black Knife | Concealable melee |
| Pharmacy | Medical Kit | Heal 5 HP |
| Pharmacy | Snake Oil | Heal 3 HP |
| Pharmacy | Revival Tonic | Revive + 3 HP |
Tracker chips vs. Spendable RPG chips — know the difference
High Noon uses two physically distinct chip sets that serve entirely different purposes. Mixing them up at the table is the single most common rules error in a first session.
These chips TRACK STATE. They are never spent or wagered — they move to indicate what is currently true about a character or the board.
These chips are SPENT to boost a play. Ante up before a card is played: add damage, gain movement, draw more cards, buy an extra action. Spent chips do not return until the next in-game day. The large physical size is intentional — if it is big, you spend it.
Every character's turn in High Noon RPG follows the same three-phase structure, clockwise around the table. This is identical to the base skirmish game — the RPG carries it forward unchanged.
Combat in High Noon RPG mirrors the base skirmish rulebook exactly. Target must be within Range + Line of Sight before any attack is legal.
Announce attacker + target. Choose a card from hand OR an equipped Weapon Card. Optionally spend an Ammunition Card (advance blue chip on it).
Defender may play a Defense Card face-up.
Total Attack = card Attack value + ammo/ability modifiers.
If the defender is behind cover (cover between attacker and defender, and attacker is NOT sharing that obstacle): Attack ÷ 2, rounded UP. Applied before the defense step.
Total Defense = card Defend value + gear/ability modifiers.
Damage = Attack − Defense. Assign first to damage-absorbing gear (move blue chip), then to character HP (move red chip). Skull square = dead.
| Type | Note |
|---|---|
| Blade | Edged weapons |
| Body | Unarmed strikes |
| Pistol | Handguns |
| Rifle | If attack deals damage, +1 extra damage |
| Buckshot | Shotgun spread pattern |
| Slug | Ignores 1 square of cover AND doors |
The Elevation Expansion adds vertical terrain. Elevation is marked with a triangle icon (bordered in blue); the number below is the rank. All elevation rules are canon and fold into the RPG book.
Being on a higher rank than your opponent grants +1 Attack and +1 Defense. This bonus does NOT stack — it is always +1 regardless of how many ranks higher you are.
For each rank above your target, ignore one entire object of cover — provided that cover object is physically below you. (Example: Miranda on a balcony at rank 2 ignores the table between her and LeRoy Gang 1 on rank 0.)
The ONLY way to move up in rank is via a Passage (own icon, e.g. stairs). Passages cost no movement penalty.
Jumping down costs no movement penalty but deals 1 damage per rank dropped. Jumping from rank 3 to the ground = 3 damage.
The Marketplace Expansion adds a physical economy layer. Three stores, 36 item cards, and a gold-tracking ashtray per player. Buying is a Free Action — you can shop, use, and shop again in the same turn.
Weapons and ranged equipment
Armor, melee weapons, and metalwork
Consumables, tools, and general goods
Requires Jenkins Bros / Abernathy Gang / Monco & McAtte tiles. Each store is tied to a starting tile. Control a store by having your characters INSIDE the building (not boardwalk) totaling ≥2 Gold Value combined. The posse with the most Gold Value inside controls it. Ties = all tied posses may buy. Controlled store = ONLY that posse buys (from anywhere on the map). Leave the building = lose control; empty store = open to all.
Official corrections — these supersede printed cards
Official card errata from highnoongame.com/cards-errata. Per the Amendments page: "anything here is final and supersedes any printed material." The RPG book will use corrected text throughout.
Once equipped, this item is NOT counted as inventory. You get the inventory slot back; the item travels with the weapon it is equipped to.
Benefits begin the FOLLOWING turn. Track the next 3 turns on the 3 squares. Unused turns still burn — use them or lose them.
The FIRST attack on your turn must be with this card to fire the remaining shots as free actions in the same turn. You cannot use another weapon first and then claim the "remaining shots."