Ambush Alley! A Game of Modern Urban Combat
Ambush Alley! A Game of Modern Urban Combat Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
This booklet contains an Ambush Alley scenario and all the rules required to play it. Only the most basic rules are presented here.
Design goals of Ambush Alley:
- A game that is fast, furious, and fun to play.
- A game that can be played on a small table.
- A game that rewards good tactics and rewards the player for playing the game, not for spending the most money on it.
- A game that feels gritty and realistic but doesn't require players to break their brains to learn the rules.
A Note on Scale
Ambush Alley! is intended to be played with 15mm or 28mm figures. If using 28mm figures, increase all measurements in the game by 150%.
Ground scale and time scale are undefined. Weapon and movement ranges were chosen to "feel" and look right on the table rather than resorting to actual scale conversions.
A Note on Table Sizes
Ambush Alley! was purposefully designed for play on a smallish table. Scenarios indicate the ideal table size on which they should be played; they rarely ask for more than a 4'x4' table and often require only a 2'x2' surface. Larger tables may be used.
A Note on the Miniatures
Figures in Ambush Alley are independently based. US pennies make perfect bases for 15mm figures. If using some other basing material, bases should be roughly half an inch, either square or in diameter.
Basic Unit Information
Regulars and Insurgents
All units in Ambush Alley fall into two broad categories: they are either Regulars or Insurgents.
Regulars are professional soldiers. In most Ambush Alley games, they are the counter-insurgents. In this scenario, they are the US Marines sent to rescue the injured contractors.
Insurgents are generally not particularly well trained, but may be highly motivated. In this scenario, they are mobs of hastily armed civilians led by a handful of foreign "freedom fighters."
Troop Quality and Morale Ratings
All units have two basic attributes: Troop Quality and Morale. Both are assigned die types.
Troop Quality is a reflection of how well-trained a unit is and, to a lesser degree, how well equipped.
The Marines in this scenario have a Troop Quality of 1d8. The Insurgents have a Troop Quality of 1d6, while their leaders have a Troop Quality of 1d8.
Morale represents how enthused the unit is about taking the fight to the enemy and sticking in there when the going gets tough.
The Marines in this scenario have a Morale of 1d10, as do the Insurgents and their leaders.
Unit Cohesion
All figures in a unit must remain within 1" of one another or the entire unit must fit within a 4" radius from the unit's center. Units that break cohesion due to movement or terrain must regroup to restore it in their next activation.
Leaders
Leaders may move freely about the table. They are not subject to Unit Cohesion rules. However, leaders who are not within cohesion with a unit may not act as its leader.
Leader figures are more critical to Insurgent forces than to Regulars. Regulars have an established chain of command and when a leader is lost, a subordinate is there to take over his role.
Insurgent units must have a Leader in order to take any action without passing a Quality Check first.
Example 1: An Insurgent unit wishes to fire on a Regular unit. The Insurgent unit has a leader attached, so the attack is immediately resolved.
Example 2: An Insurgent unit wishes to fire on a Regular unit, but the Insurgent unit has no Leader attached. Before the attack can be resolved, the Insurgent unit must roll a 4+ on its Troop Quality die. If it passes the roll, the attack is resolved. If it fails the roll, no attack is made and the Insurgent unit is finished for the turn.
Leaders Joining a Unit
A separated leader may join any unit it pleases by moving into cohesion with that unit. If the unit the leader joins has already been activated in the turn he joins it, the unit and leader are done. Neither may perform any further actions in the turn. If the unit has not been activated before the leader joins it, it may be activated later in the turn but may only fire, not move. The leader joining the unit counts as the unit's movement.
Movement
When a unit is activated (more on that later), it may either move and shoot or shoot and move. Regardless of when the unit moves, it has its choice of three speeds: Halted, Cautious or Rapid.
Units using Cautious movement may move up to 6". Units using Rapid Movement may move 12".
Halted (or on Overwatch)
If the unit does not move or has been placed on Overwatch, it has Halted. Stationary units or units on Overwatch are considered to be on alert for attacks and receive a +1 to all Reaction Tests.
Cautious Movement
Units using Cautious movement may not move more than 6" per turn.
Regular units using Cautious movement receive a +1 to all Reaction Rolls to reflect their training in spotting potential dangers and likely ambush positions. Insurgent units receive no such bonus.
Rapid Movement
Units that move more than 6" in a turn are using Rapid movement. No units may move more than 12" in a turn.
Units that have moved rapidly receive a -1 penalty to all Reaction rolls and lose 1 die of Firepower.
Sequence of Play
The Sequence of Play references subjects that will be covered later in the rules, but provides a look at the game's overall structure.
Regulars vs. Insurgents Sequence of Play
- Set up the table per the Scenario
- Place Insurgent Hot Spots
- Set up the Regular Units on the Table per the Scenario
- Set up Insurgent Units on the Table according to the Scenario
- On turns AFTER the first, Insurgent Player rolls against Insurgency Level to determine arrival of new units
- Regular Player activates his first unit
- Insurgent Units Interrupt
- Repeat steps 8 & 9 until all Regular units have been activated
- Once all Regular Units have been Activated, the Insurgent player may move any Insurgent Units that haven't Reacted.
- Repeat Steps 7 through 11 until one side has met the Scenario Victory Conditions
Set Up the Table
Each scenario contains a description of how the table should be set up, including the location of key roads, buildings, and other terrain features.
Table sizes in Ambush Alley vary from 2'x2' to 4'x4'.
The Table Set Up for this scenario is described in the Mission Brief at the end of the rules.
Place Insurgent Hot Spots
At the beginning of the game, place 5 Insurgent Hot Spot counters on the table.
Hot Spots indicate locations from which Insurgent units may arrive. Each Hot Spot counter is labeled with a number from 1 to 5. Hot Spots must be placed at least 6" apart on the table.
When Insurgent reinforcements come available, roll 1d6 to determine what Hot Spot counter they arrive near. On a roll of "6," the Insurgent Player may select which Hot Spot they arrive at.
Upon arrival, Insurgent reinforcements are placed within 4" of the rolled (or selected) Hot Spot counter.
Hot Spots may be neutralized by Regular units. To neutralize a Hot Spot, the Regular unit must spend one turn stationary and in contact with its counter. Neutralized Hot Spots are removed from the table.
If the Insurgent player rolls a neutralized Hot Spot number when checking for placement of new arrivals, those arrivals are lost. The Insurgent player may not re-roll for an active Hot Spot.
Set Up Regular Units
The Scenario will indicate how many units the Regular player will receive, what their composition will be, and where they'll be placed on the table. Set up the Regular Units as the Mission Brief dictates.
Set Up Insurgent Units
The Insurgent player usually has only a few Units on the board, but they will be continuously reinforced during play, based on the Insurgency Level of the Scenario.
Insurgent Units are placed on the table as described in the Scenario. This may sometimes place Insurgent Units within range and line of sight of Regulars. Beginning play with units "in contact" is one of the defining features of Ambush Alley!
Arrival of Fresh Insurgents
On turns after the first, the Insurgent player normally rolls to see if fresh Insurgent units arrive. To make the check, roll 1d6. If the score is equal to or less than the Scenario's Insurgency Level, roll on the Scenario's Insurgent Reinforcement table to determine how many fresh insurgents arrive and how they are armed. For this scenario, though, assume Insurgent reinforcements automatically arrive at the beginning of each turn after the first.
Insurgent reinforcements arrive at Hot Spots previously placed on the table. If more than one reinforcement unit arrives, roll separately for each unit to determine what Hot Spot they arrive from.
First Regular Unit Activates
One of the characteristics of Regular vs. Insurgent conflicts is a pattern of action and reaction: Regular Units tend to move with purpose, discipline and according to a coordinated plan, while Insurgents tend to react to the Regular force's actions. Ambush Alley reflects this by giving the Regular Player the initiative in each turn.
Each of the Regular Player's Units will be activated, one after the other, while Insurgent Units are forced to react to them.
The Regular Player may pick which Unit he wishes to activate first.
Once activated, a Unit may either Move and Fire or Fire and Move.
Insurgent Units Interrupt Regular Actions
Insurgent Units may attempt to Interrupt any Regular Unit they see activated.
An Insurgent Unit can only Interrupt once per turn.
Alternate Activating Regular Units
Alternate activating Regular Units and resolving Insurgent Interruptions until all units have been activated.
Move any Remaining Insurgent Units
Once all Regular Units have been activated, any Insurgent Units that have not Interrupted in the turn may move and fire. Play continues until one side has completed its Victory Conditions.
Basics of Play
The (Nearly) Universal Mechanic
Ambush Alley has one (nearly) universal mechanic that applies to the resolution of a wide range of Unit actions, ranging from determining hits against the enemy to digging in under fire: Roll a 4 or better.
If the action calls for an opposed roll, such as firing on the enemy, roll a 4 or better and roll higher than your opponent.
The (Nearly) Universal Mechanic
- Roll a 4+
- If Opposed, Roll a 4+ and Higher than your opponent's roll
Interruptions and Reaction Tests
When a Regular Unit moves or fires within Line of Sight (LOS) of an Insurgent Unit it may attempt to interrupt with movement or fire of their own.
Insurgent Interruptions of Regular's Movement/Fire
The Insurgent player must declare which of his units is interrupting and whether he is interrupting the Regular unit's movement or fire. If movement is being interrupted, the interrupted player must indicate where in the move the Interruption occurs.
Insurgent units may also sacrifice an Interrupt action by firing on Disrupted or Pinned Regular units.
A Regular Unit may be interrupted by more than one Insurgent Unit, but each Insurgent Unit may only interrupt one Regular Unit per turn.
Insurgent Interrupt Check
If an Insurgent unit has no leader attached, it must make an Interrupt Check in order to take some independent action against the regulars. They must roll a 4+ on their Troop Quality die in order to perform an interrupt action. Insurgent units with leaders attached can automatically interrupt and do not need to make this check.
Insurgent Reaction Test
- Without Leader: 4+ on Troop Quality Die. If this roll fails, the unit may take no further action this turn.
- With Leader: No Roll Required
Reaction Tests
When an Insurgent unit attempts to interrupt a Regular unit's movement or fire, a Reaction Test is made to determine whether the interrupt was successful.
A regular unit whose movement/fire has been interrupted may always react. Regular units may also react to Insurgent units who move within their LOS or fire at them after all Regular units have been activated.
Regular units within line of sight of a friendly unit that is being interrupted may also react if they have not already been activated. Such a reaction counts as the unit's activation for the turn and it may take no further action.
Overwatch units may always react to any interruption within their line of sight.
Reaction Test Results
- Insurgent Rolls 4+ and higher than Regular: Interruption is resolved before the Regulars can react.
- Otherwise: Regular Player may fire on Insurgents or complete their move before the Interruption is resolved.
Taking the Reaction Test
When a Regular Unit's movement or fire is interrupted, a Reaction Test is taken. Both involved units roll their Troop Quality die. The Interrupting player must roll a 4+ and roll higher than the Regular player to interrupt before the Regular player can react.
Regular units who were making a Patrol Move or were stationary/on Overwatch the previous turn receive a +1 to their Troop Quality die for the Reaction Test. Regular Units who were running receive a -1 to their die roll.
The Insurgent Unit receives a -1 penalty to their firing dice if their target was making a Cautious move.
If the Insurgent player rolls a 4+ and the roll is higher than the Regular unit's roll, the interruption occurs before the interrupted unit can React. Once the Interruption is resolved (see Interruption by Fire and Interruption by Movement), the Regular unit may React by returning fire. If the interrupted unit's movement was not yet complete, it may finish its movement once the Interruption and Reaction are resolved.
If the insurgent player fails to roll a 4+ or does not roll higher than the Regular player, the interruption still occurs but the Regular player is allowed to React first. The Regular player may either fire at the interrupting unit before it takes its declared Interrupt action or move into cover or out of sight.
- Fire before the interrupting unit. Once the Regular fire has been resolved, the Insurgent player takes any necessary Morale Check. Surviving Insurgents who are not Pinned or Fleeing may then take their interruption fire. Once all fire combat is resolved, the Regular player may finish his movement if appropriate.
- Move into cover or out of the Insurgent unit's line of sight. The Regular unit may not move any farther than their regular movement. If their movement was interrupted, they may only move the remainder of their movement.
Regular units lose one Troop Quality die from their Firepower and lose 1" of movement each time they're interrupted. These modifiers are cumulative.
Regular units roll one less Troop Quality die when resolving fire combat for each interruption after the first.
Interruptions by Fire
If a Regular unit fails a Reaction Test when being interrupted by Insurgent fire, resolve the fire immediately. Regular troops who survive the attack make a Morale Check. If they are not forced to Pull Back or are not Pinned, the Regular Unit may return fire and finish their movement if appropriate.
If a Regular unit passes a Reaction Test when being interrupted by Insurgent fire, it may:
[Editor note: in the printed two-column layout the two options appear in the adjacent column and are transcribed above under "Taking the Reaction Test": fire before the interrupting unit, or move into cover or out of the Insurgent unit's line of sight.]
Overwatch fire takes place before the Regular Unit being Interrupted makes their Reaction Test.
Interruptions by Movement
If an Insurgent Unit interrupts a Regular Unit's movement by moving, simply move the insurgent unit as desired. State at the start of the move what movement type the Insurgents are using (Cautious or Rapid) and move the group the appropriate distance. The interrupted unit may react to it as described above.
Regular Units who have not yet been activated and Overwatch units may also react to the interrupting Insurgent unit. Regular units who haven't been activated lose their turn if they react to an Insurgent interruption of another unit's movement or fire.
Overwatch
Only Regular units can use Overwatch. A Regular unit can choose to go on Overwatch when activated.
Overwatch units may interrupt the actions of any Insurgent unit in their LOS, including Interruptions.
Overwatch fire may not be interrupted by Insurgent units.
Overwatch units lose one Troop Quality die from their Firepower for each interruption after the first. They may continue to interrupt until they run out of dice.
When Overwatch fire interrupts an Insurgent interruption, make a Reaction Test as described previously. If the Overwatch unit passes the Reaction Test, they fire before the Insurgents. If not, they fire after the insurgents.
Fire Combat
Fire Combat occurs whenever one Unit takes another under fire, whether as a direct action or as an interruption or reaction.
Optimum Range
Most weapons can easily fire from one edge to the other due to the table sizes used in Ambush Alley. Units who are within Optimum Range of a target, however, have a better chance of causing casualties. Troops with better training or more experience have a greater Optimum Range than less experienced opponents.
Optimum Range should not be confused with "effective range," which is a term with a very specific meaning: the distance at which a weapon may be expected to fire accurately to inflict damage or casualties. The effective range for most weapons used in the game will be many times the width of even the largest tables.
Units firing at targets within Optimum Range receive a single additional Firepower Die.
In this Scenario, your Marines have an Optimum Range of 8" and the Insurgents have an effective range of 6". Support Weapons have twice the figure's normal effective fire range.
Resolving Fire Combat
To resolve Fire Combat, both units involved determine how many Troop Quality dice they have in Firepower and Defense. Each unit rolls the appropriate number of Troop Quality dice and discards any dice with a score lower than the target number (4+). The defender matches his dice to the attacker's dice, attempting to match or exceed the score on each die. Any of the attacker's dice which the defender cannot match or exceed cause a casualty.
Defense
The better trained and more experienced a soldier is, the more likely he is to make the most effective use of whatever cover and concealment is available to him. We simulate this by linking a unit's Troop Quality to its Defense.
A unit's Defense is determined by totaling its number of figures and adding any Cover or Armor dice. The maximum Defense for any unit is ten dice (10D).
Unit Defense
- Defense = Number of Figures in Target Unit + Cover Dice + Armor Dice
- Max Unit Defense: 10D
Cover Dice
In the urban environment that Ambush Alley simulates, wide open avenues and plazas are less common than streets strewn with debris and parked (or wrecked) cars. Most gamers don't have enough scenic pieces to replicate this cover-rich environment on their tabletop, so we assume that any unit that is not Exposed (see the rules on being exposed under Firepower) is taking advantage of unseen terrain features.
Units receive additional dice to their Defense based on the presence of cover beyond the usual battlefield clutter or activity that allows units to take better advantage of what cover is there.
Cover Dice
- Moving Cautiously: +1 Defense Die
- In Cover: +1 Defense Die
- Solid Cover: +1 Defense Die
- Exposed: +1 Firepower Die for Attacker
Moving Cautiously (+1 Defense Die): If a unit being fired at is using Cautious Movement, it receives a bonus Defense Die.
In Cover (+1 Defense Die): A unit that spends one turn in place may declare that it has "Hunkered Down" on the next turn. Additionally, pinned units can also claim to have "Hunkered Down." This bonus die is cumulative with other applicable Cover Dice.
Solid Cover (+1 Defense Die): Cover that has a good chance of deflecting or outright stopping bullets is considered to be Heavy Cover. Some examples of Heavy Cover might include concrete or adobe buildings, sand bags, stone walls, wrecked APCs, etc. (IN COVER and SOLID COVER are cumulative: a unit In Cover behind Solid Cover would receive +2 Defense dice.)
Exposed (+1 Firepower Die for Attacker): If a unit is in open ground and is not within 2" of a scenic piece representing cover of some sort, it is considered to be Exposed. Exposed units are extremely vulnerable to fire, so units attacking them receive an extra Firepower Die.
Armor Dice
Units who are wearing body armor receive additional Defense dice.
In this scenario, the Marines get an additional die to their defense for body armor. The Insurgents aren't wearing any armor and receive no extra dice.
Examples of Defense
Example 1: A unit of Marines is moving down a street when they are fired upon. There are 4 figures in the fireteam, giving them a base Defense of 4 dice. They are also wearing armor, so they receive a bonus die, bringing their total Defense to 5 dice, in this case, 5d8.
Example 2: The same fireteam above is fired upon while taking cover in a building. There are still four figures in the unit, giving it a base Defense of 4 dice. They also receive a +1 bonus armor die. Since they are in a building which provides a Solid Cover bonus of 1 die, their final Defense is 4 + 1 + 1 = 6d8.
Example 3: A unit of 6 insurgents are moving across an open field. They have a base Defense of 6 dice. They are not wearing armor or in cover and receive no bonus dice. Since they are more than 2" from any cover, they are considered to be Exposed and anyone firing at them will receive a bonus Firepower die.
Firepower
A Unit's Firepower represents its capability to bring effective fire on the enemy. Ambush Alley works on the assumption that the quality of the man using the weapon is more important than the minor differences between individual weapons within the same class. As a result, a Unit's Troop Quality is the most important factor in determining its Firepower.
To determine a unit's Firepower, total the number of figures in the unit armed with small arms (Assault Rifles, AKs, M4s, etc.). Subtract any dice lost from interrupts or Overwatch fire. The resulting total is the attacking unit's basic Firepower.
Add any Special Weapon dice to the basic Firepower dice to determine the final number of Troop Quality dice to be thrown in the attack.
No unit may have a Firepower greater than ten dice (10D).
Support Weapon Dice
Figures using Support Weapons add dice to their unit's Firepower in excess of the dice received for the figures themselves.
In this scenario, only two types of special weapons are available: Light and Medium.
The Marine fireteams have a SAW and an M203 grenade launcher. These weapons add one additional Firepower die each to the units they're attached to.
The Insurgents have light machineguns which add 1 Firepower die to the units fielding them, and RPGs which add 2 dice.
Examples of Firepower
Example 1: A Marine fireteam of four figures is about to fire on a unit of insurgents. The team has a basic Firepower of 4. One of the figures is armed with a SAW and another has an M203. Each of these adds an additional die to the team's Firepower, raising it from 4 to 6D8. If the target they are firing at is within Optimum Range, their Firepower will be raised to 7D8. If the target is Exposed, their effective Firepower will be 8D8.
Example 2: A group of 5 insurgents is about to fire on a unit of Marines. They have 4 men armed with Small Arms and one with an RPG. The RPG adds two dice to the team's firepower, raising it from 5 to 7D6. If they're firing at a unit in Optimum Range, their Firepower will be 8D6. If the target is exposed, their effective Firepower will be raised to 9D6.
Making the Attack Roll
To determine the outcome of an attack during a firefight, the attacker rolls his Firepower versus the defending unit's Defense.
The attacker rolls a number of dice equal to his Firepower and discards any dice with a score of less than 4 if the target unit is within Effective Range, or less than 7 if not.
The defender rolls a number of dice equal to his Defense.
The defender matches his Defense dice to the attacker's Firepower dice, attempting to match each of the attacker's dice with an equal or higher die roll. The Defender may arrange his successful dice against the Attacker's successful dice as he sees fit.
Any of the attacker's dice with a score of 4 or greater that cannot be equaled or exceeded by a Defense Die indicates a casualty.
Example: A fireteam of 4 marines (2 with rifles, one with a SAW, and one with an M203) make a ranged fire attack on a unit of 3 Fedayeen crouched In Cover behind a low mud wall. The Fedayeen are within the Marine's Optimum Range.
The Fedayeen player's Defense is 5 dice, one for each member of the unit, +1 Solid Cover die for being behind the low mud wall and +1 for being In Cover. The Fedayeen will throw 5D6 in Defense.
The Marine player's Firepower is 7D8 (one for each figure in the fireteam, +1 die each for the SAW and M203 and +1 for Optimum Range).
The Marine unit rolls 7D8, noting each individual roll: 7, 6, 5, 4, 4 (he also rolled a 3 and a 2, but since those rolls are not 4 or higher, they are discarded).
The Defending player throws 5D6 in Defense: 5, 5, 4, 4, 3.
The dice are laid out and the defender matches his dice against the attacker's as best he can, trying to match or exceed as many of the attacker's scores as possible. He arranges the dice as shown (attacker's die first, then the defender's die placed against it): 7-x, 6-4, 5-5, 4-5, 4-4.
Since the defender could not exceed the attacker's 7 roll, he puts no dice against it and takes a casualty. He also cannot beat the Attacker's 6 roll, so he puts a 4 against it. Although this results in a second casualty, it does allow him to tie the Attacker's 5 and 4 rolls, thus leaving one of his Insurgents alive and uninjured.
Casualties to Regular Units
Insurgent casualties are removed immediately. Regulars are trained in Buddy Care and First Aid and roll on the chart below to determine the fate of their casualties as they are taken:
Standard First Aid Table (roll a D6)
- 1 - 2: The casualty figure's injuries are slight.
- 3 - 4: Casualty has suffered moderate injuries and becomes a Dependant.
- 5 - 6: Casualty has suffered serious injuries and becomes a Dependant. Unit must take a morale test.
Casualty figures are removed from play.
Units with Casualties
If ANY of a Regular unit's figures are removed as casualties, the unit must make a Quality Check each time it attempts to move faster than Cautious for the rest of the game. This reflects the fact that the men in the unit are a little less eager to stick their noses into a hornet's nest after seeing what happened to their buddy.
Morale
Even the most highly motivated units have their limits: a unit that has been badly mauled will often take a moment to reflect on cost vs. gain. In Ambush Alley, these moments of battlefield introspection are referred to as Morale Checks.
Morale Checks
Regular and Insurgent troops take morale checks under different circumstances. In general, Insurgent troops are more brittle and thus take more checks during the course of a game.
When a Unit is called upon to make a Morale Check, it must roll a Morale Die for each figure in the unit, apply all applicable modifiers, and consult the appropriate Morale Check Table.
Insurgent Morale Checks
Insurgent Units take a Morale Check:
Insurgent Morale Check Points
- Each time an Insurgent Unit without a leader is fired upon
- Each time an Insurgent Unit takes a casualty
Regular Morale Checks
Regular Units take a Morale check:
Regular Morale Check Points
- Each time a Regular Unit takes a casualty
Morale Effects
If a unit has been forced to make a Morale Check, roll a Morale Die for each figure in the unit. All rolls of 4+ are counted as Successes and all rolls less than 4 are counted as Failures. Total the number of Successes and Failures and consult the appropriate rules below for effects on Regular or Insurgent units.
Regular Morale Effects
Regulars will respond in one of three ways to Morale Checks. They will either Stand, or they will be Pinned or Pull Back.
- Stand Result: If a Regular unit makes a Morale Check and the number of Successes (4+) is greater than the number of Failures, the unit's morale holds and they suffer no adverse effects.
- Pinned Result: If a Regular unit makes a Morale Check and the number of Failures is equal to or greater than the number of Successes, the unit is Pinned.
- Pull-Back Result: If a Pinned Regular unit is "Pinned" again, it must attempt to Pull Back unless it is already in a defensible position.
Insurgent Morale Effects
Insurgents will respond in one of two ways to Morale Checks. They will either Stand (and possibly Shrink) or be Shaken.
- Stand Result: If an Insurgent unit makes a Morale Check and the number of Successes (4+) is greater than the number of Failures, the unit's morale holds, but they still may Shrink.
- Shrink Result: Even if an Insurgent unit passes its Morale Check, it still may Shrink. Any figure that rolled a "1" on its Morale Die during the Morale Check is removed from play.
- Shaken Result: If an Insurgent unit makes a Morale Check and the number of Failures is equal to or greater than the number of Successes, the unit is Shaken. Reduce the unit's Morale die by one level. Units whose Morale is reduced below d6 are broken and flee; such units are removed from play.
Explanation of Morale Effects
Stand
Units that Stand have passed their Morale Check and suffer no negative effects.
Pinned
Even the most well-trained and highly motivated unit of soldiers will take pause when suddenly reminded of their mortality in the face of enemy fire or faced with moral predicaments that take them "out of the zone." This (usually) temporary drop in motivation is referred to as being Pinned in Ambush Alley!
Pinned units must move to cover if they have any movement left. They may not move towards the enemy while seeking cover. A pinned unit that cannot move to cover without moving towards the enemy may attempt to get In Cover.
Pinned units may fire at enemy units during their normal activation or interrupt an enemy movement with fire. However, pinned units lose 1 Quality Die on any test they're called on to make.
The Morale Dice of pinned units are unaffected unless a Morale Card result states otherwise.
Pinned units become "un-pinned" at the end of the turn in which they were Pinned.
Pull Back
Regulars that have been Pinned may be forced to Pull Back if they are Pinned a second time in the same turn. A unit that is forced to Pull Back will immediately move away from the last enemy unit that fired at it and take up a covered position to re-group. It can move up to 6" to find cover (regardless of how far it has already moved), but must move into the nearest covered position.
Units that are forced to Pull Back must spend their next turn regrouping. They can fire or go on Overwatch while regrouping, but they may not move. At the end of the turn they are re-grouped and may move as desired on the following turn.
A unit that is regrouping following a Pull Back may be Pinned again by enemy fire and forced to pull back if Pinned a second time.
Shrink
Insurgent units that are forced to take a Morale Check may Shrink, even if they pass the check. This represents the tendency for less motivated members of an Insurgent unit to show the better part of valor when the fighting really starts.
Any time an Insurgent unit makes a Morale Check, any figures in the unit that roll a "1" on their Morale Die are removed from play. Insurgent Special Weapons figures are always the last to be removed due to "shrinkage." Insurgent leaders are never removed in this manner. They are too devoted to the cause to "shrink" from combat.
Shaken
Insurgent units that fail a Morale Check (they roll more Failures than Successes on their Morale Check) are Shaken. The Morale level of a Shaken unit is reduced by 1 level (i.e., a unit with a Morale Die of d10 that becomes shaken has its Morale Die reduced to a d8). Units whose Morale Die is reduced below a d6 have broken and are removed from play.
Shaken units must move to cover if they have any movement left. They may not move towards the enemy while seeking cover.
Shaken units must spend the next turn recovering their will to fight. They may only move away from the enemy and may not take any aggressive actions.
Scenario 1: Contracting Trouble!
This scenario introduces the basic concepts of Ambush Alley! No special rules or Assets are in play. No Fog of War cards are drawn, regardless of Reaction Rolls.
Table Set-Up
Table size: 2'x2' for 15mm, 4'x4' for 25mm. The map key reads:
- M: Partial Marine Squad
- C: Contractors and wrecked SUV
- 1: 6xInsurgents w/Small Arms
- 2: 4xInsurgent Leaders
- 3: 1xInsurgent w/RPG (Med. Support)
- 4: 1xInsurgent Leader, 1xInsurgent w/RPG (Med. Support)
- 5: 1xInsurgent w/RPG (Med. Support)
Mission Brief
An SUV carrying two civilian contractors was hit by gunfire as it moved through a neighborhood in one of the city's red zones. UAV footage indicates that the contractors are injured but alive. The contractors have held the small group of Insurgent gunmen who attacked their vehicle at bay for nearly a quarter of an hour, but more armed men have been spotted converging on the disabled SUV.
A squad of US Marines is in the vicinity and can be on site within the hour.
Regular Mission Objective
The Marines must locate the contractors and escort them off the south or west table edge. The contractors are wounded and out of ammunition by the time the Marines arrive on the table and may not fire on the Insurgents. It is important to keep Marine losses to a minimum!
Insurgent Mission Objective
Prevent removal of contractors from the table. Due to poor command and control, the Insurgent player may not attempt to seize or kill the contractors before the US Marines reach them.
Insurgency Level
The Insurgency Level of this game is "Automatic." New Insurgent reinforcements automatically arrive at the end of each turn.
To determine what sort of "reinforcements" arrive, roll 2d6 and consult the table below:
| Die Roll | Insurgent Unit |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1d6 w/Small Arms + 1 w/L Support |
| 3 | 1 w/RPG * |
| 4 | 1d6 w/Small Arms & ROLL AGAIN |
| 5 | 1 w/RPG * |
| 6 | 1d6+2 w/Small Arms |
| 7 | 1d6 w/Small Arms + Leader + 1 L Support |
| 8 | 1d6+2 w/Small Arms |
| 9 | 1d6 w/Small Arms & ROLL AGAIN |
| 10 | 1 w/L Support |
| 11 | 1d6 w/Small Arms + Leader + 1 RPG * |
| 12 | 2d6 w/Small Arms |
* Roll 1d6: a roll of 5-6 indicates an AT RPG.
Roll 1d6 for Insurgent units that do not have a leader. On a roll of 1, replace one of their figures with a leader. Otherwise they come on the board leaderless.
Roll to see which Hot Spot each reinforcement unit arrives from. If a roll on the table results in the arrival of multiple units, roll Hot Spots separately for each unit.
Marine Force Composition
The Regular player has a partial Marine Squad containing:
- 1 Corporal - Squad Leader
- 2x Fireteams (2xRiflemen, 1xRGL, 1xSAW)
The Marines have a Troop Quality of Trained (d8) and a Morale of 1d10. No special Combat Assets are available.
Insurgent Force Composition
Other than the units in place at the beginning of the turn, Insurgent forces are determined randomly. All Insurgents in this scenario have a Troop Quality of 1d6 and Morale of 1d10.
Regular Victory Conditions
- Per contractor escorted off the table by Marines: 5 pts.
- Marines leave no friendly Casualties or POWs behind: 5 pts.
Insurgent Victory Conditions
- Per Marine Wounded: 1 pt.
- Per Marine killed: 2 pts.
- Per captive held at end of game (Contractor or POW): 5 pts.
Special Rules
Moving the Contractors. Regulars may move the contractors upon contact; in other words, as soon as a Regular figure comes in contact with one of the Contractor figures, the Contractors are absorbed into the Regular figure's unit as Dependants. The Regular unit may continue moving if it has any movement left and may fire as normal if it has not already fired.
Insurgents may not move the Contractors at all. They may only prevent units containing the Contractors from leaving the board or capture them in Close Assault. The Contractors cannot become casualties if the unit they are Dependants of is fired on.
Reminder: Once a Marine squad begins escorting a Contractor off the table, it has acquired Dependants.
Fog of War
There are no Fog of War effects in play for this scenario.
More Info on Ambush Alley
The full Ambush Alley rulebook includes rules for Civilians on the Battlefield, full Vehicle Rules, Special Assets and Off-Board Support, Night Fighting, UAVs, IEDs & VBIEDs, Building Clearing, and much more. It includes five scenarios and sample organizational charts for US, British, and Australian forces. The game can be played at any scale from 15mm up: 15mm scenarios call for a 2'x2' table, while 28mm games only require a 4'x4' table. Few scenarios require more than ten figures for the Regular force and a dozen or so for the Insurgents. The full game also offers complete solo-play rules.