Atom Cats: How to Start
Bound together by the occasional poetry night and a slick hot rod paint job, the Atom Cats are a gang of Power Armor fans based in an old garage south of Boston. If they are not checking out some jaunty tunes or repairing their prized suits, they tend to turn a helping hand to nearby groups of settlers. [Folio pg. 24]
An Atom Cats crew is built on the Survivors faction list, with the following changes: [Folio pg. 25]
- Local Leader removed from the faction list; replaced by Cool Cat (Champion, Leader) — higher Charisma and Strength, Power Armor, no Inspirational
- Swatter removed from the faction list; replaced by Atom Cat (Grunt) — Power Armor, high Charisma, baseball-and-firearm weapon options
- Specialist (Trader) gains one additional weapon set: 10mm Pistol (20)
- No Place Like Home ploy replaced by The Way of Cool
All other models (Specialist Hunter/Medic, Security Guard, Good Boy, Settler), Crew Limits, the Redeem Captive story action, the training table, and quest lines are unchanged from the Survivors main faction.
Crew Limits
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade Limit per Model | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Champion Limit | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Control Limit | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Facility Limit | 3 | 5 | 6 |
[Rulebook pg. 74; Folio pg. 9]
Playstyle
The Atom Cats trade the Local Leader's Inspirational perk for raw stat power — the Cool Cat has S5 E6 C7 A5, the highest Charisma of any Survivors leader, and comes with Power Armor built in. The Atom Cat grunt also packs Power Armor and high Charisma (C6), making your whole front line exceptionally resilient. The Way of Cool is a powerful defensive ploy that protects whichever Cool Cat or Atom Cat you activate — enemies must pass a 2C test or Fatigue out before their action lands. With so many high-Charisma models, this ploy is hard for opponents to pass consistently.
Starter Roster
A suggested crew featuring the Cool Cat, Atom Cats in Power Armor, and support grunts (total: 249 pts).
| Unit | Weapons | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Cool Cat ★ | Assault Rifle | 48 |
| Specialist (Medic) ★ | Hand Weapon | 20 |
| Atom Cat | Baseball Bat | 31 |
| Atom Cat | Baseball Bat | 31 |
| Atom Cat | Baseball Bat | 31 |
| Security Guard | Hunting Rifle | 22 |
| Security Guard | Hunting Rifle | 22 |
| Security Guard | Hunting Rifle | 22 |
| Good Boy | Claws and Jaws | 7 |
| Good Boy | Claws and Jaws | 7 |
| Settler | Hand Weapon | 8 |
| Total | 249 | |
Captive Story Action: Redeem Captive
Unchanged from Survivors main. See the Survivors: How to Start page for the full Redeem Table. [Rulebook pg. 63]