Embuscades! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components and Armies
• 1. Vehicles
• 2. Companies
• 3. Mines
• 4. Flags
• The Playing Area
  • 1. The Two Camps
  • 2. The Headquarters (Q.G., Quartier général)
  • 3. The Compasses
  • 4. The Outposts
  • 5. The Strategic Spaces
  • 6. The Reserves
  • 7. The Prisoner Islands
  • Escape
• Playing the Game
  • Movement
  • Vehicle Movement
  • Attacks
  • The Arsenal
  • Winning
• Rules for 4 Players
  • Notes

Components and Armies

Each player receives:

Regular Army (khaki pieces): 11 vehicles, 15 blue companies, 5 blue mines, 5 white flags with a blue cross.

Terrorist Army (sand pieces): 11 vehicles, 15 red companies, 5 red mines, 5 yellow flags with an orange sun.

Each player leaves 10 companies of their colour outside the game.

1. Vehicles

TANK and GUN CARRIER (PORTE-CANON): used to attack or to protect. The TANK is the strongest piece because it can carry 5 companies. The GUN CARRIER comes next, with 4 companies.

COMMANDO and ENGINEER (GÉNIE): the COMMANDO lays mines. The ENGINEER, conversely, removes mines to re-open the passage.

INFANTRY and JEEP: the INFANTRY is the only vehicle that can carry flags. A small ring on its rear is provided for this purpose. It can carry 3 companies. The JEEP is used only for escapes and also carries 3 companies.

2. Companies

The game includes 50 soldier heads, EACH SOLDIER HEAD REPRESENTING ONE COMPANY.

Companies fit onto the vehicles in the holes provided for them. When a player brings a vehicle out of camp, they may place one or several companies on it, as they choose.

3. Mines

When a MINE is placed on a board space, no vehicle may pass through that space.

To lay a MINE, the player brings the COMMANDO out of camp, with a MINE and some companies on board. The player then moves it onto the chosen board space using the dice. On the following turn, the COMMANDO places its MINE and leaves.

4. Flags

At the start of the game, each army places its 5 flags in its RESERVE.

Example: the Regular Army sets its white flags with a blue cross in the space marked "RÉSERVE ARMÉE RÉGULIÈRE".

The Playing Area

The playing area represents the island of "YAMBO". On it are shown: the camps, the headquarters (Q.G.), the compasses, the outposts, the reserves, the strategic spaces, and the prisoner islands.

1. The Two Camps

Located at each end of the board, they receive vehicles, mines and companies.

• The REGULAR ARMY CAMP is rectangular, with a white flag with a blue cross.
• The TERRORIST CAMP is oval, with a yellow flag with an orange sun.

2. The Headquarters (Q.G., Quartier général)

The Q.G., like the CAMP, is inviolable: the enemy may not enter it, cross it, or even attack a vehicle on it. The Q.G. is the only space where 3 vehicles may stand at the same time.

3. The Compasses

At the start of the game, the players shuffle the COMPASS cards and place them face down at the end of the board.

If a player passes over a COMPASS space, they draw a card, but only when travelling in the direction from the Q.G. towards the track. A player does not draw a card when passing a COMPASS space while returning to camp, or when moving from one track to the other. There are two kinds of card:

• "PERSONNEL" cards are kept by the player who draws them, to be used when needed. A player may not keep more than 2. If a more useful card is drawn, the player may swap it, placing the card no longer wanted under the deck. These cards stay secret until they are used.
• "RADIO YAMBO" cards must be read aloud and carried out immediately, then placed under the deck.

4. The Outposts

They mark out the four tracks. A track is the stretch of board between two enemy outposts. Those tracks that lie along the water's edge are called coastal tracks.

5. The Strategic Spaces

Also called COMMUNICATION spaces, these consist of: airfields, ports, railway stations, relay stations, tunnels, and space bases.

If a vehicle stands on a COMMUNICATION space, the player has two options:

• move the vehicle the number shown on the dice;
• use the communication.

Example: a player is on the airfield. They may continue on their route, or take the plane and travel to the other airfield. In this case they give up the number shown on the dice.

Some PERSONNEL COMPASS cards allow special communications. Example: the card "AÉRONAVALE" allows the holder, from a port or an airfield, to travel to any other port or any other airfield.

6. The Reserves

At the start of the game, each camp places its flags in its RESERVE, and must go and fetch them with the INFANTRY vehicle. The RESERVE is a privileged place that the enemy is not allowed to enter.

Example: the Terrorist RESERVE belongs to the Terrorist Army. A Regular Army vehicle may cross this reserve, but may not stop there or attack a Terrorist vehicle standing there.

7. The Prisoner Islands

These spaces are for holding captured companies.

Example: when the Regular Army attacks the Terrorists, it takes prisoners and places them directly on the Terrorist prisoner island.

Prisoners may escape with the ESCAPE JEEP.

At the start of the game, each player places their ESCAPE JEEP on the island opposite their camp.

Example: the Regular Army places its khaki Jeep on the Regular Army prisoner island.

Escape

When a player needs to, they place prisoner companies in their Jeep and bring it back to camp (moving with the dice). The companies are then freed. The Jeep is returned directly to its island, ready for another escape.

Note: the Jeep can never attack.

Playing the Game

Movement

Each vehicle moves forward or back the number of spaces shown on the dice. Example: a player rolls 2 and 4. They may choose between:

• moving one vehicle 2 spaces and another vehicle 4 spaces;
• moving a single vehicle 6 spaces;
• playing only one die's number;
• passing the turn.

A player may turn back anywhere and in any way.

Vehicle Movement

Vehicles of the same army may pass one another, but never stop together on the same space (except on the Q.G.).

A vehicle may not pass an enemy vehicle that stands in its way.

• To leave camp: roll a 6 on a die, and place the vehicle on the Q.G.
• To return to camp: from the Q.G., the vehicle goes straight back into camp without using the dice, but the player passes their turn.

WARNING: companies are placed on vehicles before they leave camp. Once out, the player may not change the number of companies. If this proves necessary, the vehicle must return to camp, and the player will then need a 6 to come out again.

Attacks

Any vehicle carrying companies on board may attack any enemy vehicle. Only the escape Jeep can never attack.

Who may attack? Only the strongest vehicle (the one carrying the most companies). Example: an INFANTRY with three companies may attack a TANK with 2 companies.

How to attack? If the number shown on the dice brings you onto a space occupied by the enemy, you may attack it. You then take ONE company from its vehicle and place it on your prisoner island. BUT YOU STAY IN YOUR PLACE. The enemy may flee, and you may continue to attack it.

Result: the companies of the attacked vehicle are taken prisoner one by one. A vehicle with no companies left may continue to move. However, if it is attacked again while empty, it is destroyed and removed from the game. Unarmed vehicles may not attack.

Special cases: in the following three cases, it is enough to attack the enemy ONCE to destroy the vehicle and all its companies completely:

1. attacking a vehicle carrying a flag;
2. attacking a vehicle carrying a mine;
3. attacking the escape Jeep while it carries prisoners.

Consequence: the vehicle and its companies are removed from the game, the flag is returned to its reserve, and the mine returns to its camp.

If 2 vehicles of equal strength meet, the attack is made by whichever player decides first.

The Arsenal

The arsenal consists of all the pieces removed from the game (destroyed companies and vehicles). You may restock from the arsenal through the COMPASS cards. These allow you to take companies or vehicles, if any are available in your army's colour.

Winning

The aim of the game is to bring the 5 flags from the RESERVE back to the CAMP. To do so, the player removes the flag's foot and places it behind the INFANTRY vehicle.

Rules for 4 Players

The course of the game is the same as for 2 players, but the participants join up and form two teams. Each player within a team is responsible for specific missions. For example, one partner goes to fetch the flags and lays the mines, while the other protects them by attacking the enemy and removing the mines.

To win the game, perfect collaboration is required.

Notes

• PERSONNEL cards held by a player may be used only once, and are immediately placed back under the deck.
• MINES may be placed only on a "white" space. The track is then cut, and no one may pass beyond it. The ENGINEER removes all mines (its own and the opponent's). Players may exchange the mines that have been removed.