Chopper Strike Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Setting Up the Game
• Assembling the Sky Grid
• Rules
  • Movement of Playing Pieces
  • Destroying Enemy Pieces
  • To Win the Game
  • Hints on Play Strategy
• Disassembling the Sky Grid

Object of the Game

Be the player to first destroy either all your opponent's choppers or jeeps.

Setting Up the Game

1. Place the board lengthwise between the players. Refer to the picture on the cover.
2. Place your choppers on any spaces in the back row (spaces nearest you) on the upper plastic level.
3. Place your jeeps on any spaces in the back row on the gameboard. Jeeps may be placed on a space directly under a chopper.

NOTE: See booklet cover for one example of starting positions for both players.

Assembling the Sky Grid

1. Set both of the large rectangular plastic pieces upside down, smooth side down, on a flat surface. Bring the two pieces together so that the tab of each piece fits into the slot of the other piece (FIG. 3).
2. Two flat legs support the middle section where the two grid halves join. Hold each leg upside down with the "foot" facing out and then lower base into channel with the slot locking the two halves together. As you press the leg into the channel, you will hear the two small tabs snap into their matching slots. If you do not hear the snap, the legs are probably being inserted backwards. See FIG. 4.
3. Insert the four corner legs into their channels, "feet" facing out. You will also hear the twin tabs snapping into place in the corner channels as you did with the center legs. See FIG. 5.
4. Carefully turn the assembled Sky Grid over and place it over the game board so that the six feet fit over the outside edges of the game board at the four corners and at the ends of the center fold. See FIG. 6. Notice that the numbers of the squares of the Sky Grid, when looking down from above, line up with the numbers of the game board squares.

NOTE: See back page for disassembly of Sky Grid.

Rules

Movement of Playing Pieces

1. The player with the light-colored force moves first, and players take turns rolling the two dice.
2. The black numbered dice determines the number of playing pieces (choppers or jeeps) that may be moved.
3. The spotted dice determines the number of spaces that each piece must move.

NOTE: For example, in Fig. 7, 3 pieces each move 6 spaces.

4. Choppers always move on spaces of the upper level plastic platform. Jeeps always move on the board spaces. a. Choppers may move onto all spaces, across the hill and lakes without restriction. b. Jeeps may not move across the hill or lakes (unnumbered squares near the center of the board). c. Jeeps may cross into opponent's side of board by passing between the hill or lakes. d. Choppers may jump a space occupied by one of their own choppers or an enemy chopper (not diagonally) provided there is an empty space beyond. e. Jeeps may not jump other jeeps. f. Two pieces on either level (choppers or jeeps) may not occupy the same space at the end of a move.
5. Players may choose to move choppers only, jeeps only or a combination of both.
6. Choppers and jeeps may move in any direction, but not diagonally. They may turn corners, go forward, backward and sidewards but cannot move back and forth over the same two spaces in the turn.
7. A player must move the number of spaces and the number of pieces rolled on the dice. a. If you have fewer pieces than roll of dice allows moving, move only what you can.

Destroying Enemy Pieces

Opposing forces engage in combat as follows:

1. Chopper vs. Chopper a. If a chopper during a move jumps over an opponent chopper, it destroys the opponent chopper. Destroyed choppers are removed from the game. A chopper may jump its own choppers without causing damage. b. If a chopper ends his move on a space next to an enemy chopper, he may jump and destroy the enemy chopper, providing there is an open space on the other side. c. A space occupied by a chopper being destroyed is not counted as a space of the move. d. A chopper may destroy one, two or more enemy choppers in a single turn.
2. Chopper vs. Jeep a. If a chopper ends his move directly over an opponent jeep, the jeep is bombed and removed from the game. b. The chopper player must call "HIT" to destroy the jeep or the jeep is not bombed and remains in the game.
3. Jeep vs. Chopper a. If a jeep ends its turn directly under an opponent's chopper, the chopper is shot down by AA fire and removed from the game. b. The jeep player must call "HIT" or the chopper is not destroyed and remains in the game. c. If a jeep is directly under a chopper at the beginning of a turn because the chopper player did not call "HIT", then the jeep player by calling "HIT" can destroy the chopper by calling "HIT" before he rolls the dice to take his turn. d. The chopper player may destroy the jeep in the same manner as above if the jeep is left under the chopper without its player calling "HIT."
4. Jeep vs. Jeep a. A jeep can destroy an opponent's jeep by ending his turn on the same space occupied by the opponent.

To Win the Game

Chopper Strike is won in either of the following two ways.

1. A player destroys all of his opponent's choppers.
2. A player destroys all of his opponent's jeeps.

Hints on Play Strategy

1. Coordinate moves of choppers and jeeps so they can be used to protect each other.
2. Avoid spacing choppers on alternate spaces, thereby making it more difficult for an opponent to jump more than one chopper at a time.
3. Watch opponent's moves carefully as air to ground angles can fool you.

Disassembling the Sky Grid

Carefully turn grid over and place upside down on a flat surface. Disengage the center legs first by pressing in on the center, just above the channel, to spring the two tabs out of their locking slots (FIG. 8).

The corner legs are removed by squeezing the edges at the base to spring the two tabs out of their locking slots. See FIG. 9.