
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,476
- BGG rating
- 8.5
This Is Not a Test: Post-Apocalyptic Skirmish Rules
- 2 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2013

Rules assistance for VOR: The Maelstrom – Zykhee
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
VOR: The Maelstrom – Zykhee is an expansion for VOR: The Maelstrom released in 2000 for 2–10 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Mike Nielsen and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Secret Unit Deployment.
The Flame Burns Eternal. Masters of melee and mystical combat, the zykhee flow like water across the battlefield, slicing through and slashing down all who threaten to extinguish the sacred flame of the Bael Fire. Thousands of years of tradition have sculpted the current crop of zykhee warriors into the deadliest practitioners of hand-to-hand combat the Maelstrom has ever known. The Zykhee Forcebook describes the disciplined and wickedly agile warriors of the zykhee, providing detailed background on this alien race. The Zykhee Forcelist offers new units including wardyns, Death Dancers, Soulless, and Stalkers. This book also contains a Vykas-Denox Battle Terrain Table, new campaign rules, new force traits, and five unique personalities to aid they zykhee in their quest to protect the sacred flame.
VOR: The Maelstrom – Zykhee supports 2–10 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for VOR: The Maelstrom – Zykhee is 90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists VOR: The Maelstrom – Zykhee for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
VOR: The Maelstrom – Zykhee belongs to these categories: Wargame, Dice, and Miniatures. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Secret Unit Deployment. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of VOR: The Maelstrom – Zykhee are: Mike Nielsen. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists VOR: The Maelstrom – Zykhee as an expansion for VOR: The Maelstrom. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need VOR: The Maelstrom to use it. Check that your edition of VOR: The Maelstrom is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.