Opération Commando: Pegasus Bridge Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Rules
  • Overview
  • Components
  • Card Presentation
    • Unit, Event and Combat Action cards
    • Terrain cards
  • Setup
    • Terrain setup
    • Starting hand
    • Cards in hand
    • Tokens
    • Discard pile
    • Heroic cards
  • Turn Sequence
    • 1 - Progression Phase
    • 2 - British Phase
    • 3 - German Phase
    • 4 - Assault Phase
      • Course of an Assault
      • Result of the Assault
    • Tactical Retreat
    • Example
    • End of the Assault
  • End of the Scenario
  • Clarifications
  • Interactions Between Certain Cards
• Campaign Rules - OPERATION "TONGA"
  • "PEGASUS BRIDGE", 6 June at 00:16
  • "ASSAULT ON THE MERVILLE BATTERY", 6 June at 04:00
  • "DESTROY THE BRIDGES ON THE DIVES!", 6 June between 02:00 and 05:00
  • German Campaign Tokens
  • Campaign Result
• Scenario Booklet
  • Scenario 1A: "The Bénouville Bridge" (Introductory scenario)
    • Historical background
    • Scenario objective
    • Setup
    • Terrain setup
    • Course of the game
    • The Bénouville Bridge
  • Scenario 1B: "Pegasus Bridge" (Historical scenario)
    • Scenario objective
    • Setup
    • Heroic cards
    • Terrain setup

Rules

Overview

On each Terrain, the German may decide to play a Unit (red card), then the British does the same. Each then tries to beat the other using combat actions (yellow cards) and tokens.

If the German wins, the British loses one Strength Point (PE, "Point d'Effectifs") but advances to the next Terrain (if the British loses his 3 PE, he has lost the game).

If the British wins, he destroys that German Unit, but another one may defend the same Terrain, depending on the size of the Terrain.

If the British destroys all the German Units present on that Terrain, he advances without suffering losses to the next Terrain.

Components

• 91 British cards, 81 German cards, 39 large "Terrain" cards.
• 1 large "Reserve" card for the tokens.
• 2 grey cards "Modifier of the number of German Units".
• 2 "Turn sequence" reminder cards.
• 4 blank cards (2 British and 2 German) to replace damaged or lost cards.
• 1 Rules and Campaign booklet.
• 1 Scenario booklet.
• 42 tokens (40 small and 2 large).
• 2 sticker sheets.

Before the first game, place the stickers on the tokens so as to obtain:

• 26 black tokens each with a grey "+1" face and a grey "failure" face ("normal" tokens that are placed on the Reserve card).
• 4 black tokens each with a yellow "+3" face and a yellow "failure" face (special tokens given by certain British cards).
• 4 green tokens each with two red "+1" faces (special tokens given by the British card "Sgt Charles Thornton").
• 4 red tokens each with a "red cross" face and a "skull" face (British Strength Point, or PE).
• 2 blue tokens with a grey face showing a "German cross" and a green "-1" face, used for the Campaign only.
• 1 large grey token with a "British" face and a "German" face: Turn token.
• 1 large white token with a green "success" face showing a medal and a red "failure" face showing bullet impacts: Fate token.

Note: Some small tokens are surplus and are provided to replace any lost tokens.

Card Presentation

Unit, Event and Combat Action cards

1. Army
2. Name
3. Card type: red: Unit; blue: Event; yellow: Combat Action
4. Combat Value (for Units)
5. Effect
6. Number of copies of the card used in each scenario
7. Unit type (if any)

Terrain cards

1. Name
2. Number of cards drawn by the British during his phase
3. Number of cards drawn by the German during his phase
4. Effect
5. Number of German Units that can be played on this Terrain
6. Number of copies of the card used in each scenario

Setup

1. The players decide who plays the British and who plays the German.

2. According to the chosen scenario, the players sort out the specific cards they will use (cards with a green back for the British and grey for the German). Under the illustration of each Unit, Event and Combat Action card is a code indicating the number of copies of that card used in each scenario. Before playing a scenario, each player takes the cards of his side showing a given letter: "P" for "Pegasus Bridge", "M" for "Assault on the Merville Battery" and "D" for "Destroy the Bridges on the Dives!", in as many copies as the number associated with that letter. Each player shuffles the cards thus selected and places them near him to form his draw pile.

3. Each player places near him, face down, the heroic cards available to him for this scenario (cards bearing a golden star on front and back).

4. 24 tokens (with a "+1" face and a "failure" face) form the reserve and are placed on the Reserve card, itself placed within reach of both players. Each player takes two tokens from it. There are also special tokens that depend on the scenario played. They are not part of the reserve.

5. The British takes the three "Strength Point" markers marked with a red cross and places them in front of him.

6. Depending on the scenario, the Turn token is placed with the "British" or "German" face visible.

Terrain setup

The composition of the Terrain draw pile depends on the chosen scenario. But it is always one or several piles of Terrain cards that will be revealed during the game and on which the Assaults take place.

Starting hand

Each player takes the first 6 cards of his draw pile. If he is not satisfied with his starting hand, he may announce it to his opponent, shuffle those cards into his draw pile and draw 6 new ones, but only once per game.

Cards in hand

The number of cards a player may hold in hand is unlimited. At any time, each player is entitled to know how many cards his opponent has in hand.

Tokens

When a player takes one or more tokens, he takes them from the reserve and places them in front of him. If, during the game, a player must take a token but the reserve is empty, he cannot do so.

Discard pile

Played cards whose effect on the game is over are placed face up in piles called "discard piles". Each player places his own discard pile near his draw pile. Terrains that were not chosen or that have already been crossed are placed face up in the Terrain discard pile, placed near the Terrain draw pile.

Each player may look at the cards in his own discard pile at any time, but not at his opponent's. The Terrain discard pile may be consulted by both players.

Some cards force a player to discard one or more cards. These cards are put in their owner's discard pile without having any effect on the game.

Some cards allow a player to take back one or more cards from his discard pile. This type of effect is applied as far as possible.

Heroic cards

During the game, players will choose some of their heroic cards. These special cards will be added to the player's hand. They cannot be discarded or cancelled because of the effect of another card. Heroic cards are played like normal cards, according to their type (Event, Unit, Combat Action). Heroic Units that are played can be destroyed normally in combat by non-heroic or heroic Units. When a heroic card should be placed in its owner's discard pile, it is removed from the game instead.

Turn Sequence

A game is made up of successive turns, each divided into 4 distinct phases. The order of these phases is always the same:

1. Progression Phase
2. British Phase
3. German Phase
4. Assault Phase

1 - Progression Phase

• The German reveals the top two cards of the Terrain draw pile and places them face up between the two players (except for exceptions depending on the scenario played).
• On the first turn of the game, the British chooses which Terrain he advances to: that is where the first turn of play will take place. The other Terrain is placed face up near the Terrain draw pile; it is the first card of the Terrain discard pile.
• The players apply the effect described on the chosen Terrain card.
• On the following turns, the player who lost the previous Assault chooses the next Terrain. If there was no Assault on the previous turn, the British is considered to have won it, and so the German chooses. The Terrain card that was not chosen is placed on the Terrain discard pile.

2 - British Phase

• The British draws the number of cards indicated on the Terrain where the turn is taking place (number at bottom left, next to the British medal).
• He may then play from his hand one or more Event cards (blue), one after another. The effect of each Event is applied immediately, then the card is placed in the British discard pile.
• When the British no longer wishes to play Events, he announces it to the German. This ends his phase.

3 - German Phase

• The German draws the number of cards indicated on the Terrain where the turn is taking place (number at bottom right, next to the German medal).
• He may then play from his hand one or more Event cards, one after another. The effect of each Event is applied immediately, then the card is placed in the German discard pile.
• Finally, the German must decide whether or not to play a Unit card from his hand.
• If he does, this ends his phase and an Assault takes place. (Go to 4 - Assault Phase.)

If he does not play a Unit, the British is considered to have won the Assault; as a reward he takes two tokens from the Reserve and draws a card. A new turn begins. (Go to 1 - Progression Phase.)

4 - Assault Phase

On each Terrain, the British attacks the German Units present. If he destroys them all, he advances without suffering losses. If a single German Unit eliminates a British Unit, the British loses one Strength Point. In this case, the Assault ends immediately and the British advances toward the next Terrain without fighting other German Units on this Terrain. If the British loses his last Strength Point, the German wins the game.

Important: the German plays only one Unit at a time. If the British destroys that Unit, the German may then play another one (if the size of the Terrain allows it, see below). The British never fights several German Units simultaneously (except by exception).

Course of an Assault

• Each German Unit has a Combat value. To destroy it, the British must reach a Combat value equal or superior with his Unit.

To do so, the British plays a Unit card from his hand. He places it in front of him, facing the German Unit. Note: the British may play only one Unit facing each German Unit.

Then the British may also, in the order of his choice:

• Play one or more Combat Action cards. He places each in front of him, next to his Unit. The effect of the Combat Action is applied.

Note: players may play Combat Actions only if they have played a Unit (except as specified on the card).

• Use one or more of his tokens. He takes one of the tokens from his own supply and tosses it in the air as if playing heads or tails. If the token lands with its "+1" face visible, it is placed on the British Unit and gives it a +1 bonus in Combat against the German Unit being fought. If it lands with its "failure" face visible, it gives no bonus and is immediately returned to the Reserve. The British may use as many tokens as he has in this way, one after another.

(Examples: 3+1=4 vs 4; 3+1+3=7; 4+2+1=7.)

• If the British does not reach a Combat value greater than or equal to that of the German Unit, he loses the Assault. See "Result of the Assault, Case 1".

• If the British reaches a Combat value greater than or equal to that of the German Unit, the German has the choice between two possibilities:

  • do nothing. His Unit is then destroyed. See "Result of the Assault, Case 2".
  • increase the Combat value of his Unit.

  To do so, the German may, in the order of his choice:

  • Play one or more Combat Action cards. He places each in front of him, next to his Unit. The effect of the Combat Action is applied.
  • Use one or more of his tokens. He proceeds in the same way as the British.

• If the Combat value of the German Unit is now strictly greater than that of the British Unit, the British may then play other Combat Action cards and/or use tokens to increase the Combat value of his Unit. In turn, the British and the German may thus continue to raise the bid to increase the Combat value of their Unit until one of them gives up (whether because he does not want to or cannot continue).

Result of the Assault

• Case 1: the British Unit is destroyed. If the Combat value of the German Unit is strictly greater than that of the British Unit, the German wins the Assault and the British loses 1 PE. If at that moment the British falls to 0 PE, the German wins the game! If the British still has 1 or 2 PE, the Assault phase is over on this Terrain. See "End of the Assault".

• Case 2: the German Unit is destroyed. If the Combat value of the British Unit is greater than or equal to that of the German Unit, the latter is destroyed but stays in the play area, as does the British Unit. The German then turns his Unit card 90 degrees.

  If the German has played on this Terrain a number of Units strictly lower than the size of the Terrain (the number in the red box at top right, near the Terrain name), he may play another Unit from his hand, but is not obliged to. If he does, the Assault continues. See "Course of an Assault". Otherwise, the British wins the Assault. See "End of the Assault".

  If the German has already played on this Terrain a number of Units equal to the size of the Terrain, the British wins the Assault. See "End of the Assault".

Tactical Retreat

Players are never "obliged" to play their cards or use their tokens. On large Terrains in particular (Road, Abandoned Containers...), if the British feels he will be dealing with too strong an opposition, he may decide at any time to end the Assault, in order to keep more cards in hand and to have the choice of the next Terrain. But beware! This strategy is risky: it costs 1 PE and gives two tokens and a card to the German.

For the same reasons, the German may also end the Assault by not playing as many Units as the number indicated on the Terrain in play.

Example

A) The German plays the Unit Patrouille (Combat value 2). B) The British plays the Unit Sapeurs (Combat value 3). C) The German plays the Combat Action Grenade ("Your Unit has +2 in Combat against this British Unit."). The Combat value of his Patrouille is now 2 + 2 = 4. D) The British tosses a token, which lands "failure" face up. He tosses another, which lands "+1" face up: the Combat value of his Sapeurs is now 3 + 1 = 4. E) If their Combat values are equal, the British Unit destroys the German Unit. The German in turn decides to toss a token, which lands "failure" face up. He could toss others, but prefers to keep them for other occasions. F) He turns his Patrouille sideways to show the British that it has been destroyed. G) The German has played only one Unit on a Terrain where he can play up to 4. He decides to play an Auto-mitrailleuse (Combat value 3, against which the British cannot use tokens) and the Assault continues.

(Play-area layout diagram: Terrain discard pile; Terrain draw pile; each player's discard pile and draw pile; Terrain.)

End of the Assault

• The Terrain card is put on the Terrain discard pile. The Unit and Combat Action cards are put in the discard piles of their owners. Tokens used are returned to the reserve. Heroic cards that were played are removed from the game.
• The player who won the Assault takes two tokens and draws a card.
• The player who lost the Assault will choose the next Terrain during the next Progression Phase.
• The player whose medal is visible on the Turn token chooses one of his heroic cards (among those still available) and adds it to his hand, without showing it to his opponent.
• The Turn token is flipped.
• A new turn begins. See "Progression Phase".

End of the Scenario

The victory conditions of each player depend on the scenario played. However, in each of them, the British loses the game if he loses his last PE or if he fails to reach his objective.

Clarifications

Draw pile exhausted: if a player's draw pile has no cards left, that player keeps playing but can no longer draw. He must manage the end of the game with the cards in his hand. His discard pile is not shuffled to create a new draw pile.

Cancellation cards: some cards (Sabotage, Échec, Tireur embusqué, Piège, etc.) must be played immediately after the card they cancel. If other cards have been played in the meantime or if tokens have been tossed, it is too late. Players must therefore play their cards one after another so as to leave their opponent time to play a cancellation card.

Modifications to the number of Units the German can play on a Terrain: two Combat Actions modify this number: Grenade fumigène and Tranchée. These modifications are cumulative. For example, if the German plays a Tranchée (number of Units +1) on a Terrain where he can normally play 2 Units and the British plays a Grenade fumigène (number of Units -1), the number of Units the German can play remains unchanged.

These cards can be played each time a German Unit is destroyed (when the German turns it sideways). A Grenade fumigène may also be played in response to a Tranchée and vice versa.

When the number of German Units that can be played on a Terrain is modified, one of the grey "Modifier of the number of German Units" cards provided for this purpose is placed to the right of the Terrain card, in the corresponding orientation.

German initiative: after playing a Unit, the German may, if he wishes, play one or more Combat Actions and/or use tokens before handing over to the British.

Interactions Between Certain Cards

Escouade de parachutistes (1106), Éclaireurs parachutistes (1107): the effect takes into account all Units with the type "Parachutiste", that is Escouade de parachutistes (1106), Éclaireurs parachutistes (1107), Major John Howard (1401), LCL Terence Otway (1405) and Parachutistes Canadiens (1410). Units discarded by Piège (1706) or Sacrifice (1403) are not taken into account.

Fusil-mitrailleur Bren (1108): the effect does not take into account Units played as Combat Actions: Éclaireur (1001), the effect of the Terrain card Champs (1007), nor Units discarded by Piège (1706) or Sacrifice (1403).

Attaque éclair (1301): the German must decide whether he wants to play a cancellation card before the British makes the choice demanded by the card.

Patrouille (1502), Mitrailleuse MG-42 (1504), Escouade de commandement (1508), Panzergrenadiers (1511), Panzer IV (1512), DCA Flakvierling 38 (1513), Défense coordonnée (1701), Résistance acharnée (1707): the effect does not take into account Units that were played as if they were Combat Actions: Sentinelle (1501), Oberleutnant Steiner (1805), the effect of the Terrain card Champs (1007).

Auto-mitrailleuse (1503): the British cannot use normal tokens against the Auto-mitrailleuse, unless they are special tokens obtained through heroic cards (Sgt Charles Thornton, Lance-flammes, La traversée de Troarn par le Major Roseveare).

Peloton de défense (1506): the British cannot play Combat Actions against the Peloton de défense, unless they are heroic cards (in this scenario Interception des renforts and Mitrailleuse Vickers en soutien).

Sie Kommen! (1608), Trousse de soins (1609), Défense coordonnée (1701): the British must decide whether he wants to play a cancellation card before the German makes the choice(s) demanded by the card.

Piège (1706): if the Unit discarded is a Mortier (1110), the British does not take a token.

Réseau de tranchées (1004), Le pont de Robehomme (1028): the Combat value of a Unit may exceed 5 because of the effect of the Unit itself, of Combat Actions and/or of tokens.

Village (1006): the choice of the number of tokens spent is made only once. A player who spends a token and draws a card cannot then decide to spend another token to draw another card.

Campaign Rules - OPERATION "TONGA"

The three scenarios may be played one after another, in campaign mode, to recreate all the operations carried out during the night of 5 to 6 June 1944. During a campaign, both players keep their role from one game to the next. At the end of each of the three scenarios, the British scores Victory Points (PV) according to the objectives he has reached. The German does not score points; he must prevent his opponent from gaining any.

"PEGASUS BRIDGE", 6 June at 00:16

• British victorious on the Bénouville Bridge: 2 PV
• British victorious on the Ranville Bridge: 1 PV
• British victorious on Pegasus Bridge with 1 PE: +4 PV; with 2 PE: +5 PV; with 3 PE: +6 PV

"ASSAULT ON THE MERVILLE BATTERY", 6 June at 04:00

When the British wins the Assault on one of the Terrains Casemate no. 1 or Casemate no. 4, he destroys the corresponding gun. When he wins the Assault on the Terrain Casemates no. 2 and 3, he destroys two guns.

• 2 PV per gun destroyed.
• British victorious on the Command Bunker: +1 PV

"DESTROY THE BRIDGES ON THE DIVES!", 6 June between 02:00 and 05:00

The three major objective bridges are those of Bures-sur-Dives, Troarn and Varaville. A bridge is destroyed when the British wins the Assault on that Terrain. In campaign mode, the scenario is played until an Assault has taken place on each of the three major objective bridges.

• ONE major objective bridge destroyed: 1 PV
• TWO major objective bridges destroyed: 3 PV
• THREE major objective bridges destroyed: 5 PV
• Robehomme Bridge destroyed: +1 PV

German Campaign Tokens

The German has two blue tokens. At the end of the Progression Phase of any turn of any scenario, he may place one on the Terrain where the turn is going to take place (only one at a time, after applying the effect of the Terrain). He cannot place a blue token on a Terrain where a British victory would be rewarded with Victory Points (1014A, 1014B, 1015A, 1016, 1022, 1023, 1024, 1028, 1030, 1031 and 1032). If the German wins the Assault on a Terrain where he placed a blue token, he gives the latter to the British. If the German loses the Assault, the token is lost and set aside until the end of the campaign. When the British adds up his Victory Points at the end of the campaign, he subtracts 1 PV from his score for each blue token he holds.

Campaign Result

• British total score of 11 PV or less: German victory. The 6th Airborne Division did not fulfil its objectives; the German reaction to the landings will be much more intense and rapid, making them more difficult.
• British total score of 12 or 13 PV: status quo. The 6th Airborne obtained mixed results, which will help the success of the landings, but the Germans will be able to react.
• British total score of 14 PV or more: British victory. The 6th Airborne fulfilled its objectives, the left flank of the landings is protected and the German reaction there will be weak. Historical result.

Scenario Booklet

Scenario 1A: "The Bénouville Bridge" (Introductory scenario)

Historical background

To prevent German troops from moving quickly toward the landing beaches, the Allied staff decided to have the bridges spanning the Orne and its canal, near the villages of Ranville and Bénouville, occupied. The first British airborne units were to land by six gliders as close as possible to the two bridges. Five gliders managed to land nearby. The 150 men under Major Howard, after a brief but very violent fight, managed to take both structures intact. Despite the capture of the two bridges, the Germans did not give up. They harassed the British for part of the night and launched a counter-attack to retake the Bénouville bridge, which failed. British losses were about thirty men, including Lieutenant Brotheridge, the first Briton to fall on D-Day. This scenario is dedicated to him.

This scenario lets you become familiar with the rules of Opération Commando before playing the historical scenario "Pegasus Bridge".

Scenario objective

If the British wins the Assault on the Bénouville bridge, he wins the game; if the German prevents him, the German wins.

Difficulty level: This introductory scenario favours the British.

Game length: About 30 minutes.

Setup

• Follow the instructions of the rules, except steps 3 and 6.
• Two yellow "+3" tokens are placed next to the Reserve.

Terrain setup

• The German takes the 16 Terrain cards showing a "P" in their code, in as many copies as the number immediately following the "P".
• The card "Le pont de Bénouville" (no. 1014A) is placed between the two players, on one side of the play area. The card "Le pont de Ranville" (no. 1015A) is set aside, as it is not used in this mode of play.
• The cards "Le Café Gondrée" (no. 1010) and "Tobrouk anti-char" (no. 1011) are set aside. The 12 remaining Terrain cards are shuffled, then two are removed at random without revealing them. These cards are discarded and will not be used during the game. Then 4 cards are taken at random from the 10 remaining Terrain cards (without revealing them), "Le Café Gondrée" (no. 1010) and "Tobrouk anti-char" (no. 1011) are added to them, and these 6 cards are shuffled and the pile thus formed is placed in front of the bridge. Finally, the pile made of the 6 other Terrain cards is placed on top of the first.

(Layout diagram: token Reserve; Bénouville Bridge 1014A; special "+3" tokens; British draw pile; Terrain pile; German draw pile; Strength Points (PE); British tokens; German tokens.)

Starting hand draw: follow the instructions of the rules.

Course of the game

• During the Progression Phase of the first turn, the British chooses the terrain to which he moves from among the two revealed cards.
• The choice of Terrain in the following Progression Phases follows the general rule: it falls to the player who has just lost the Assault. When the British reaches the Terrain "Le Pont de Bénouville", specific rules apply (see below).

The Bénouville Bridge

• If the British manages to cross the first six Terrains, he reaches the Bénouville bridge. A new turn begins on this Terrain, without a Progression Phase. The British Phase and the German Phase take place normally.
• During the Assault Phase, if the German destroys the British Unit, the British loses 1 Strength Point, but this does not end the Assault, contrary to what usually happens. The Assault continues as long as the British has at least one Strength Point.
• Instead of playing a Unit, the British may also decide to lose 1 Strength Point: this does not end the Assault. Even if it has not faced a British Unit, the German Unit played still counts toward the number of German Units played on the Terrain, as well as for the effects of cards stating: "for each German Unit that has already fought on this Terrain."
• If the British wins the Assault on the Bénouville bridge, he wins the game.

Scenario 1B: "Pegasus Bridge" (Historical scenario)

Scenario objective

To win, the British must capture the Bénouville bridge and withstand the German counter-attack (that is, have at least 1 Strength Point at the end of it). Taking the Ranville bridge is not mandatory, but if the British succeeds, he will gain a tactical advantage on the Bénouville bridge (both in the attack and in the counter-attack). If the British fails to take the Bénouville bridge or if the German retakes Pegasus Bridge, he has lost the game, even if he took the Ranville bridge.

To win, the German must prevent the British from capturing the Bénouville bridge, or retake Pegasus Bridge in his final counter-attack. If he fails, he loses the game, even if he is master of the Ranville bridge.

Difficulty level: The chances of winning are equal for both sides.

Game length: Between 30 and 45 minutes.

Setup

• Follow the instructions of the rules.
• Two yellow "+3" tokens are placed next to the Reserve.
• The four red "Thornton" tokens with two "+1" faces are placed next to the Reserve.
• The Turn token is placed with the "British" face visible.
• The players use their heroic cards in this scenario.

Heroic cards

• Players acquire their heroic cards as indicated in the rules (End of the Assault). Since the Turn token starts the game with the "British" face visible, that player chooses one of his heroic cards at the end of the first turn. Then the German does so at the end of the second turn, then the British again, and so on.
• During the game, each player can use only three of his four heroic cards, because once the British reaches the bridges, players stop taking a heroic card at the end of the turn. This results in a tactical choice that can greatly influence the course of the game.

(Layout diagram: special "Sgt Charles Thornton" tokens; Fate token; Bénouville Bridge 1014A; Ranville Bridge 1015A; special "+3" tokens; token Reserve; British draw pile; German draw pile; Terrain pile.)

Terrain setup

The Terrain setup is identical to that of scenario 1A (see above), with one exception: the card "Le pont de Ranville" (no. 1015A) is placed next to the "pont de Bénouville" (no. 1014A).

Starting hand draw: follow the instructions of the rules.

Preparing the possible German counter-attack

• At the end of each of the first six turns, whatever the result of the Assault, the German may choose from among the cards he played during that turn ONE Unit card and ONE Event OR Combat Action card. He shows them to the British, then places them face down near the card "Le pont de Bénouville" to form his counter-attack pile. Each turn, he may choose to place only one card there, or even none.
• The cards placed in this pile are not considered part of the German's discard pile; effects allowing the German to choose cards from his discard pile therefore cannot apply to these cards.

The two bridges: Bénouville and Ranville

• If the British manages to cross the first six Terrains, he reaches the bridges of Bénouville and Ranville. A new turn begins, without a Progression Phase. The British Phase and the German Phase take place normally. During the Assault Phase, however, the fights take place on both bridges: the German plays a Unit on the Bénouville bridge and then on the Ranville bridge, the British does the same, then the fights are resolved, starting with the Bénouville bridge.
• At the start of the Assault, the German plays a Unit on the Bénouville bridge, then another on the Ranville bridge. When his choice is made, he announces it to the British, who in turn plays a Unit facing each German Unit, the first on the Bénouville bridge and the second on the Ranville bridge. (If the German does not place a Unit on one of the bridges, this means he abandons that bridge to the British.)
• The fight between the Units present on the Bénouville bridge is then resolved as described in the rules: each player may play Combat Actions and/or use tokens.
• The fight between the Units present on the Ranville bridge is then resolved in the same way.
• On each bridge, instead of playing a Unit, the British may decide to lose 1 Strength Point: this does not end the Assault. Even if it has not faced a British Unit, the German Unit played still counts toward the number of German Units played on the Terrain, as well as for the effects of cards stating: "for each German Unit that has already fought on this Terrain."
• Units, Combat Actions and tokens played on one of the bridges have no effect on the fights taking place on the other bridge.
• On the Bénouville bridge, if the British destroys the German Unit, the Assault continues. If the German destroys the British Unit, the British loses 1 Strength Point, but this does not end the Assault, contrary to what usually happens.
• On the Ranville bridge, if the British destroys the German Unit, the Assault continues. If the German destroys the British Unit, this ends the Assault, but the British does not lose a Strength Point. However, the effects described below apply immediately.
• The Assault on the Ranville bridge will almost always be resolved more quickly than the one on the Bénouville bridge, because of the lower number of German Units that can be played there (2, unless this number is modified by cards). At the end of the Assault on the Ranville bridge, the following effects are applied immediately:

(Layout diagram: Reserve for the German counter-attack; British draw pile; Bénouville Bridge 1014A; Ranville Bridge 1015A; German draw pile.)

Results

• If the British wins the Assault on the Bénouville bridge, he manages to capture it. He takes two tokens from the Reserve as usual and draws a card, whatever the result of the Assault on the Ranville bridge. He flips the card "Le pont de Bénouville" to its "Pegasus Bridge" face (no. 1014B), and the last turn begins.
• Although the "British" face of the Turn token is visible, this player does not take his last heroic card.

The German counter-attack

• There is no Progression Phase either in the last turn on the Terrain "Pegasus Bridge", which starts directly with the British Phase.
• Once it is over, the German takes the cards of the counter-attack pile he built during the game and shuffles them into his remaining draw pile. He plays his Phase normally, then the Assault Phase begins.
• There is no longer an Assault on the Ranville bridge, but the visible face of that card (Ranville bridge or Horsa Bridge) shows who won the victory on that bridge, and thus the modifier (+1 or -1) to apply to the number of German Units that can be played on Pegasus Bridge.
• During this Assault, the British may, as in the previous one, decide to lose 1 Strength Point instead of playing a Unit: this does not end the Assault. Even if it has not faced a British Unit, the German Unit played still counts toward the number of German Units played on the Terrain, as well as for the effects of cards stating: "for each German Unit that has already fought on this Terrain."
• If the British wins the Assault on "Pegasus Bridge", he wins the game.

Campaign

When this scenario is played as part of Campaign mode (see page 16 of the rules booklet), in case of a British victory, he notes the number of Strength Points with which he ends the game. He also notes whether he took the Ranville bridge (whether he won the game or not).

Scenario 2: "Assault on the Merville Battery"

Historical background

The Merville coastal battery consisted of four artillery casemates manned by more than a hundred Germans. Its fire threatened the Sword sector. During the regrouping phase of the 9th Parachute Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Otway could only note the failure of the first phase of the operation: of seven hundred paratroopers, only one hundred and fifty rallied to him. The main assault across the minefield surrounding the battery was improvised. The attack was very violent and many hand-to-hand fights took place to seize the casemates. In about thirty minutes, more than half of the British paratroopers were killed or wounded before the guns were destroyed. "They did not know it was impossible, so they did it," can be read today on the battery's site. This scenario is dedicated to the troops of the 9th Parachute Battalion, who led this insane assault!

Scenario objectives

The British must destroy three of the four guns of the battery, by winning the Assault on the two or three "Casemate" Terrains (the Terrain "Casemates no. 2 and no. 3" representing two guns). As soon as the British destroys the third gun, he wins the game.

Difficulty level: This scenario favours the German. The British will often come close to his objective by managing to destroy two of the three guns, but not the last one. The main difficulty for him is a set of Terrains that are unfavourable to him. His hand will tend to run out over the turns, time working for the German.

Game length: Between 15 and 60 minutes.

Setup

• Follow the instructions of the rules.
• Two yellow "+3" tokens are placed next to the Reserve.
• The Turn token is placed with the "German" face visible.

Starting hand draw

• Follow the instructions of the rules.
• The British then chooses one of his heroic cards (except "Lance-flammes") and adds it to his hand.

Terrain setup

• The German takes the 14 Terrain cards showing an "M" in their code, in as many copies as the number immediately following the "M". He separates these cards into three piles, as follows:
  • an "Approach" pile, made of the card "Champs inondés", one of the two "Champ de Mines" cards and one of the two "Réseau de Barbelés" cards.
  • an "Objectives" pile, made of the three "Casemate" cards ("Casemate no. 1", "Casemates no. 2 and no. 3" and "Casemate no. 4") and the cards "Bunker de commandement", "Entrée de la batterie de Merville" and "Le posé d'assaut des Horsa".
  • a "Battery" pile, made of the 5 remaining Terrain cards.
• The German shuffles each of these three piles separately, then the British reveals at random one of the three cards of the "Approach" pile. This Terrain, adjacent to the battery, is the one he must cross on the first turn. Once this Terrain is revealed, the British may choose to discard a Unit with a Combat value of 4 or more to reveal instead one of the two remaining Terrains, also at random. This time, he must keep that Terrain. Whatever the British does, the two discarded Terrains are shuffled into the "Battery" pile (which now contains 7 cards).

(Layout diagram: "Battery" Terrain pile; "Objectives" Terrain pile; "Approach" Terrain cards; British and German heroic cards, draw piles, tokens; Strength Points.)

Course of the game

• In this scenario, the winner of an Assault gains two tokens but does not draw an additional card.
• The first turn begins on the Approach Terrain, with a British Phase, a German Phase and an Assault Phase. At the end of this turn, the German chooses one of his heroic cards and adds it to his hand, then the Turn token is flipped to the "British" face.
• Once the first turn is over, the British has entered the battery, whether he won the Assault or not. If he won it, the Terrain card is placed in the Terrain discard pile; otherwise it is placed under the "Battery" Terrain pile. During the Progression Phase of the second turn, the German reveals the top card of the "Objectives" Terrain pile.
  • If it is the Terrain "Le posé d'assaut des Horsas", the British Phase and German Phase take place normally, but there is no Assault Phase. During his Phase, the British tosses the Fate token; if he gets a success, he puts the heroic card "Lance-flammes" in his hand. After the German Phase, the card "Le posé d'assaut des Horsas" is permanently removed from the game. On the next turn, the attacked Terrain will again be the top one of the Objectives pile.
  • If the revealed card is one of the "Casemate" cards, the turn takes place normally. If the British wins the Assault, he destroys the casemate and places the card face up in front of him; if at that moment he has destroyed at least three guns (the card "Casemates no. 2 and no. 3" counting for two guns), he wins the game. If the German wins the Assault, the "Casemate" card is shuffled into the "Objectives" pile.
  • If the revealed card is the "Bunker de commandement", the turn takes place normally. If the British wins the Assault, the Terrain is permanently removed from the game. If the German wins the Assault, the card is shuffled into the "Objectives" pile.
  • If the revealed card is the "Entrée de la batterie de Merville", the turn takes place normally. If the British wins the Assault, the Terrain is permanently removed from the game and on the next turn, the attacked Terrain will be one of those of the Objectives pile, at the British's choice. If the German wins the Assault, the card is shuffled into the "Objectives" pile.
• During the Progression Phase of a turn following an Assault on a Terrain from the "Objectives" pile (except "Le posé d'assaut des Horsas" and the "Entrée de la batterie de Merville"), the German reveals the first two cards of the "Battery" pile. The player who lost the previous Assault chooses on which of these two Terrains the British advances (if there was no Assault, the German chooses). The other Terrain is not discarded, but put back under the "Battery" pile. At the end of the turn, if the British won the Assault, the Terrain is permanently removed from the game. If the German wins, the Terrain is put back under the "Battery" pile. Note: unlike the "Objectives" pile, the "Battery" pile is never shuffled.

Heroic cards

• Players acquire their heroic cards as indicated in the rules (End of the Assault). Since the Turn token starts the game with the "German" face visible, that player chooses one of his heroic cards at the end of the first turn. Then the British does so at the end of the second turn, then the German again, and so on.
• The card "Lance-flammes" can be acquired by the British only through the effect of the Terrain "Le posé d'assaut des Horsas" (see above).

Campaign

When this scenario is played as part of Campaign mode, the game ends only when the British has destroyed all four guns or has lost all his Strength Points. If the British wins the Assault on the Terrain "Bunker de commandement", he places the card in front of him as for the "Casemate" cards.

Scenario 3: "Destroy the Bridges on the Dives!"

Historical background

The third part of the British airborne operations consisted of destroying five bridges over the Dives and the Divette. The aim of these destructions was to slow the arrival of German reinforcements from the east. The paratroopers of the 3rd Squadron of the Royal Engineers, assisted by the Canadians of the 1st Parachute Battalion and the British of the 8th Parachute Battalion, were dropped on these objectives. The particularity of this mission was the distance between the bridges, which prevented the various units from supporting one another. The paratroopers therefore had to operate in small groups because of their dispersal during the jumps and the difficult terrain. All the destructions were carried out despite incredible situations such as the crossing of Troarn or sizeable unforeseen events such as the night assault on the château of Varaville. This scenario is dedicated to the Canadians who fought to destroy these bridges.

Scenario objectives

The British wins if he manages to destroy three of the four objective bridges: Robehomme, Bures-sur-Dives, Varaville and Troarn, by winning the Assault on these Terrains. Conversely, the German wins if he prevents the British from reaching his objective, that is, as soon as he protects at least two bridges.

Difficulty level: The chances of winning are slightly greater for the British. The strategy adopted by the German when building the Terrain piles can vary this balance.

Game length: Between 15 and 45 minutes.

Setup

• Follow the instructions of the rules, except steps 5 (in this scenario, the British has no Strength Points) and 6 (see below).
• In this scenario, the Turn token is not used as usual. It does not govern the acquisition of heroic cards. However, players still flip this token at the end of each turn, because it is important for the effect of the Terrain "Le village de Troarn".
• The three yellow "+3" tokens are placed next to the Reserve.

Terrain setup

• The German takes the 15 Terrain cards showing a "D" in their code, in as many copies as the number immediately following the "D".
• He takes the three cards "Le pont de Bures sur Dives" (no. 1030), "Le pont de Troarn" (no. 1031) and "Le pont de Varaville" (no. 1032), and places each of them side by side, face down.
• With the remaining cards, he then builds as he sees fit three piles of 4 Terrains each and places each of them face down just in front of one of the three aforementioned cards, respecting the following restrictions:
  • the card "Le château de Varaville" (no. 1027) must be in the pile placed in front of the Varaville bridge (no. 1032);
  • the card "Le village de Troarn" (no. 1029) must be in the pile placed in front of the Troarn bridge (no. 1031);
  • the card "Le pont de Robehomme" (no. 1028) must be in the pile placed in front of the Bures-sur-Dives bridge (no. 1030), in last position (that is, the last card of the pile);
  • the German is not allowed to arrange for two identical Terrains to be revealed simultaneously. If the German forgets this restriction and two identical Terrains (two "Garnison", two "Marécages" or two "Le bois de Bavent") are revealed simultaneously during the Progression Phase of a turn, he skips his Phase that turn (he does not draw cards and cannot play Events). He may, however, initiate an Assault Phase by placing Units.

(Layout diagram: British and German heroic cards, draw piles and tokens; three "Objective Bridge" Terrain cards, each with a pile of 4 Terrains in front of it; Turn token.)

Starting hand draw

Each player then draws the first 5 cards of his draw pile. If he is not satisfied with this starting hand, he may announce it to his opponent, shuffle those cards into his draw pile and draw 5 new ones, but only once.

Course of the game

1) Attack on the first bridge

• Before the Progression Phase of the first turn, the British chooses one of the three Terrain piles at random. The German then reveals the corresponding objective bridge (Bures-sur-Dives, Troarn or Varaville) and leaves this card face up.
• Each player then chooses ONE of his heroic cards.
• During the Progression Phase of the first turn, the German turns over the top two Terrain cards of the chosen pile, then tosses the Turn token in the air. If it lands with the "German" face visible, the German chooses the Terrain where the turn takes place; otherwise, the British does.
• The player who wins the Assault on the first Terrain of the pile takes two tokens from the Reserve, draws a card, and also chooses the terrain in the next Progression Phase.
• At the end of each turn, the Turn token is flipped, even though it does not indicate that one of the players takes one of his heroic cards as in the other scenarios.
• Once the Assault on the second Terrain of the pile is finished, whoever wins the Assault, the next turn takes place on the revealed objective bridge (Bures-sur-Dives, Troarn or Varaville).
• Once the Assault on this bridge is finished, if the British has won, he takes the Terrain card of the bridge and places it in front of him. Otherwise, the German places it in front of him.

Important: If the British wins the Assault on the Terrain "Le pont de Robehomme", he also takes this card and places it in front of him. Otherwise, the German places it in front of him.

• Each player who still has his heroic card in hand permanently removes it from the game without revealing it. Likewise, each returns to the Reserve the tokens he still has (if any), then takes two tokens.

2) Attack on the second bridge

• Each player puts the cards he still has in hand (if any) on his draw pile, shuffles everything to form his new draw pile, then draws 5 cards. If he is not satisfied with this hand, he may announce it to his opponent, shuffle those cards into his draw pile and draw 5 new ones, but only once.
• The British then chooses one of the two remaining Terrain piles. As before, the German reveals the bridge at the top of this pile, and the sequence described in paragraph 1) is resumed from the choice of the heroic card.

3) Attack on the third bridge

• Each player puts the cards he still has in hand (if any) on his draw pile, shuffles everything to form his new draw pile, then draws 5 cards. If he is not satisfied with this hand, he may announce it to his opponent, shuffle those cards into his draw pile and draw 5 new ones, but only once.
• The German reveals the last bridge, and the sequence described in paragraph 1) is resumed from the choice of the heroic card.

End of the game

• As soon as the British has in front of him three "Objective Bridge" cards ("Le pont de Bures sur Dives" (no. 1030), "Le pont de Troarn" (no. 1031), "Le pont de Varaville" (no. 1032) and "Le pont de Robehomme" (no. 1028), which is in the Bures-sur-Dives bridge pile), he wins the game.
• As soon as the German has in front of him two of these cards, he wins the game.

Heroic cards

• Each player chooses one of his heroic cards at the start of the first turn on each of the three Terrain piles. If he has not played it before the end of the Assault on the objective bridge at the top of the pile, this card is lost. (Each player can therefore use only three of his four heroic cards.)

Campaign

When this scenario is played as part of Campaign mode (see page 16 of the Rules booklet), the game ends only when the Assaults on the four bridges have taken place.