POWER Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Quick Start
• 1.0 - The Cards
  • 1.1 Card Details
  • 1.2 Card List / Contents
  • 1.3 Prebuilt 8-Packs - sorted by "Identifier"
• 2.0 - The Playing Area
  • 2.1 The Battlefield
  • 2.2 The Build Queue
  • 2.3 Headquarters Row
  • 2.4 The Air/Sea Lane
• 3.0 - Game Rules
  • 3.1 Object of the Game - "To Win the Battle"
  • 3.2 No Stalemates - "Disembarking"
  • 3.3 Opposing Units - "Defender Wins the Square"
  • 3.4 No Draws - "Pass Twice? ...Move Twice"
  • 3.5 Five Card Max
  • 3.6 Hidden Info
  • 3.7 "Specials"
• 4.0 - Game Setup
  • 4.1 Choose Game
  • 4.2 Build Packs
  • 4.3 Deal Cards
• 5.0 - Turn Sequence
  • 5.1 The First Turn
• 6.0 - Build Queue "BQ" Phase
  • 6.1 BQ Shift
  • 6.2 BQ Cancel/Reassign
  • 6.3 BQ Flip - START GAMES HERE
• 7.0 - Supply Phase
  • 7.1 Transporting
• 8.0 - Move/Attack Phase
  • 8.1 Movement
  • 8.2 Attacking

Quick Start

TO WIN, be the first player with an Infantry or Tank unit in their opponent's Headquarters at the start of your turn.

• Line up the 8 Reference cards (REF#1 to REF#8) in the Air/Sea Lane (see 2.0).
• Find the 5 Game Rank Cards (black borders and red title bars).

1. Read the PRIVATE RANK GAME CARD and follow the instructions:
   • Sort the 48 gameplay cards into 6 piles of 8 cards by "Identifier" (see 1.3).
   • Each player picks one of these 8-card piles.
   • Each player fills their own Build Queue (BQ), facedown (see 4.3).
2. The First Turn for each player - begin with your Build Queue: Flip Step:
   • Flip the top facedown card of ANY of your BQ piles.
   • Look for the # in the upper left corner in the BQ Box.
   • Place that card on top of that BQ pile (BQ1 goes on BQ pile 1, etc).
   • Repeat this step as many times as you want, stacking your cards.
   • State the end of your turn.
   • Your opponent now completes his own Build Queue: Flip Step (see 6.3).
3. Each player then follows the Turn Sequence (read Rule 5.1 - First Turn, now):
   • SUPPLY any units on the battlefield, if possible (see 7.0 or REF#7).
   • MOVE/ATTACK with all of your units IN Battlefield (see 8.0 or REF#8).
   • BUILD units in your BQ to get more cards into play (see 6.0 or REF#6):
     • 6.1 BQ SHIFT: the top card of each BQ pile with a green BQ box MUST shift down one BQ pile. Start with the BQ1 pile, and deploy that card into ANY of your 4 Battlefield HQ squares, turned clockwise as "spent".
     • 6.3 BQ FLIP: can flip the top facedown cards of your BQ piles.

1.0 - The Cards

There are four kinds of cards in POWER - Unit, Special, Game Rank, and Reference.

Unit and Special cards are considered Gameplay Cards, while Game Rank and Reference are information cards to help players with game variations and rules.

UNIT Cards represent a military force which can move and attack on the Battlefield. There are 8 different unit types (see 1.1 Card Types) each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Six of the 8 different unit types are included.

SPECIAL Cards are not units, but technologies and events that modify unit attributes, alter rules or have other various effects. These are the "wild cards" and can be the key to victory. Only one card of each Special Type may be in use at a time (see 3.7).

GAME RANK Cards are used to choose a game format. New players should begin at Private Rank, where players choose one of the six prebuilt unit-themed packs. From there, players can ascend in game rank, each increasing in complexity and offering exciting new ways to choose cards and compete.

REFERENCE Cards (REF Cards) are a convenient way to have game rules and other information during gameplay without this rulesheet. These 8 cards can also be used to "map out" the Playing Area if you are not using a board or mat. Line them up in a column vertically in the Air/Sea Lane (see 2.0), four card lengths away from the Build Queues.

1.1 Card Details

• Information on cards always supersedes any rules.

Card Types: Unit and Special cards are grouped by Type, denoted with an icon in the upper right corner and the colored border on each card. There are 8 Unit Types, and 3 Special Types, as follows:

• Unit Types: Infantry, Supply, Tanks, Artillery, Close Air Support, Defense, Air, Sea
• Special Types: Politics & Population, Technology, Development, Space/ICBMs

Sub-Types: each Unit Type also has two or more Sub-Types, further defining the specific attributes of that unit compared to other units of that type.

TCA (Turn Card Ability): when a card in play is rotated clockwise, from vertical to horizontal, it is using its TCA (Turn Card Ability). When it does, it uses its supplies and is "spent". It must then be resupplied, straightened upright, before it can use its TCA again (see 7.0). TCAs may be used only on your turn unless otherwise stated on card.

Card Traits: many cards have static abilities known as Traits. Unlike TCAs, they do not require supplies and are always "active". Some Traits may provide units bonuses and others may be restrictions. Some cards may have a mixture of both.

BQ Box: the # in the BQ Box tells you which BQ pile this card goes on top of during your Build Queue Flip Step (see 6.3). If it is a Green background it implies how many turns it takes to get into play with BQ Shift Steps. Red boxes go to the BQ #, and never shift.

Valid Target Icons: unit types the card can damage or affect are listed here.

1.2 Card List / Contents

The POWER U.S. Core Packs - Modern Warfare Series comes with 61 cards: 45 Units, 3 Specials, 8 REF Cards, and 5 Game Rank cards. This pack does not contain any Air or Sea units (available in expansion packs) or any Special: Space/ICBMs.

45 Unit Cards:

• Rifle Squad x4
• 120mm Mortars x3
• Anti-Tank Javelin x3
• Stinger S.A.M. x3
• Sniper Squad x2
• Force Recon x2
• Basic Supply x2
• HEMTT Triple Supply x2
• M977 HEMTT x2
• RG-31 MRAP x2
• M551 Sheridan x3
• M1A1 Abrams x3
• M102 Howitzer x2
• M198 Howitzer x2
• M109A6 Paladin x1
• OH-6 Cayuse x2
• UH-60 Blackhawk x2
• AH-64 Apache x1
• A-10 Thunderbolt II x1
• S.A.M. A.D.A.T.S. x2
• S.A.M. MIM-23 Hawk x1

3 Special Cards: Population Boom x1, Gas Turbine Engines x1, Body Armor x1

5 Game Rank Cards: Private x1, Corporal x1, Sergeant x1, Staff Sergeant x1, Master Sergeant x1

8 Reference Cards: 1. Card Details, 2. Card Types, 3. Playing Area, 4. Game Rules, 5. Turn Sequence, 6. Build Queue, 7. Supply Phase, 8. Move/Attack

1.3 Prebuilt 8-Packs - sorted by "Identifier"

To assist new players in learning the game, the 48 Gameplay Cards are divided into 6 prebuilt packs of 8 cards each. These unit-themed decks are used in Private, Corporal, and Sergeant Rank games, designed to show the pros and cons of each unit type. Each card has a colored "Identifier" in the bottom right corner (see 1.1 Card Details):

• Infantry: Rifle Squad, Rifle Squad, Anti-Tank Javelin, Stinger S.A.M., Sniper Squad, Force Recon, Special - Population Boom, Special - Body Armor
• Supply: Rifle Squad, Rifle Squad, 120mm Mortars, Basic Supply, Basic Supply, RG-31 MRAP, OH-6 Cayuse, Special - Gas Turbine Engines
• Artillery: Anti-Tank Javelin, M977 HEMTT, M551 Sheridan, S.A.M. MIM-23 Hawk, M102 Howitzer, M198 Howitzer, M198 Howitzer, M109A6 Paladin Howitzer
• Tanks: 120mm Mortars, Stinger S.A.M., M977 HEMTT, RG-31 MRAP, UH-60 Blackhawk, M551 Sheridan, M1A1 Abrams, M1A1 Abrams
• Close Air Support: 120mm Mortars, Force Recon, HEMTT Triple Supply, M551 Sheridan, OH-6 Cayuse, UH-60 Blackhawk, AH-64 Apache, A-10 Thunderbolt II
• Defense: Anti-Tank Javelin, Stinger S.A.M., Sniper Squad, HEMTT Triple Supply, M102 Howitzer, M1A1 Abrams, S.A.M. A.D.A.T.S., S.A.M. A.D.A.T.S.

2.0 - The Playing Area

There are three distinct zones of play - the Battlefield (BF), the Build Queue (BQ), and the Air/Sea Lane (A/S). Each square can fit a card both vertically as well as turned horizontally.

High quality mats are available in stores and online, but not necessary to play.

2.1 The Battlefield

The Battlefield is a 4x8 grid including the Headquarters Rows (HQs) where all Ground units and Close Air Support units (such as Helicopters) operate.

2.2 The Build Queue

The Build Queue is an assembly line, manufacturing your forces to be deployed into battle at a Headquarters. Each player has four BQ piles located along one edge of the Playing Area (in green below) where all cards begin the game facedown.

2.3 Headquarters Row

The Headquarters Row is where units enter the battle and always can be resupplied. It is the first row for each player (four squares in the Battlefield, plus one more in the Air/Sea Lane if playing high ranking Officer games, sold separately).

2.4 The Air/Sea Lane

The Air/Sea Lane is where Air and Sea units operate (only available in expansion packs). These powerful units attack the Battlefield at range, but can't enter it.

3.0 - Game Rules

3.1 Object of the Game - "To Win the Battle"

The first player to have an INFANTRY or TANK unit in their opponent's HQ square at the end of the opponent's turn, wins the battle. Close Air Support, Artillery, Supply or Defense units CANNOT win the battle. If an opponent's Tank or Infantry card is in one of your 4 HQ squares, you have one turn to destroy it or lose the battle.

3.2 No Stalemates - "Disembarking"

There may be battles where you have no Infantry or Tanks left to win the game. There is one last option for your remaining cards on the battlefield: Disembarking. During your Supply Phase, any card in your Battlefield HQ squares can be flipped over, facedown, and "disembark" to become an unarmed Infantry unit that never can attack or be affected by Specials, and moves 1 square per turn. They can be transported, however (see 7.1).

3.3 Opposing Units - "Defender Wins the Square"

At the end of a turn, there should never be opposing units in the same square. That is to say, at the end of combat there cannot be units from one player in the same square as another player. When this happens, all attacking units are destroyed and removed from the game. They could not clear out the square and the "Defender wins the square".

This happens regardless of what unit types are in that square and what they can damage, denoted by the Valid Target Icons on the bottom of each card. The defending player occupies that square from the last turn and has the advantage to any attack on it.

3.4 No Draws - "Pass Twice? ...Move Twice"

You may choose to "pass" and not move any units during your MOVE/ATTACK phase. But if you do this twice-in-a-row, your opponent can choose to take two turns, back to back (consecutively). Never forfeit, play your games out!

3.5 Five Card Max

Each Battlefield square can have a MAXIMUM of 5 cards at the end of any turn, and of that five maximum, no more than 3 Ground and 2 Close Air Support units. Any action that would violate this (unloading off of a transport, deploying from your Build Queue, etc) is prohibited and the card(s) are removed from the game.

3.6 Hidden Info

You can look at (and read) any of your opponent's cards when first flipped faceup from their Build Queue or anytime after being deployed. You can always ask to see the cards underneath any "perfectly aligned" pile of cards on the Battlefield or Air/Sea Lane, but NOT in the Build Queue or units being transported in Supply Units (see 7.1).

3.7 "Specials"

Special cards' abilities are granted only if this card is "active" (faceup and the top card of a BQ pile). Only 1 card from each Special type can be "active" at a time. If a Special of the same color is already active, the new Special is "cancelled" (removed from game).

4.0 - Game Setup

4.1 Choose Game

Game Ranks are different variations of play, with each successive Rank increasing in complexity. Private Rank is a good place to begin. The U.S. Core Packs contains five Game Rank Cards: Private, Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, and Master Sergeant.

4.2 Build Packs

Game Rank Cards instruct players how to build their packs (prebuilt, custom, or drafted).

4.3 Deal Cards

Regardless of the game rank chosen, setup is the same. First, players shuffle each other's packs. Next, each player deals their own pack facedown into their Build Queue from top to bottom - first BQ4, then BQ3, BQ2, BQ1. This is repeated until all cards are dealt. There should be an even number of cards in each BQ pile, all oriented vertically.

5.0 - Turn Sequence

Each player's turn consists of the follow four Phases:

1. SUPPLY Phase.................... see Section 7
2. MOVE/ATTACK Phase......... see Section 8
3. BUILD QUEUE Phase........... see Section 6
4. State End of Turn

5.1 The First Turn

At the start of a new game, neither player will have cards in the Battlefield to supply, move or attack; therefore, both players will skip the first two phases and begin with Phase 3, the Build Queue Phase. Furthermore, neither player begins with any cards faceup in their BQ to Shift, Cancel or Reassign; therefore, both players also skip the first two steps of the Build Queue Phase, and begin with their BQ FLIP Step.

6.0 - Build Queue "BQ" Phase

POWER has a new way to bring cards into play than most card games, and your choices in managing your BQ and revealing cards can greatly influence your strategy and chances of winning. There are 3 steps to your BQ Phase:

• Step 1: Shift - Move cards closer and into play
• Step 2: Cancel/Reassign - Remove cards from your BQ
• Step 3: Flip - Build more units

6.1 BQ Shift

The 4 piles of cards in a player's BQ represent how long it takes to build a unit, and is shown on each card by the BQ# in the BQ Box; building Apache helicopters (BQ4) takes longer than a Sniper Squad (BQ1).

• If there are NO FACEUP cards in your BQ, skip to the BQ FLIP step.
• Start with your BQ 1 square: if there is a faceup card with a GREEN BQ BOX on top of the pile, move it into any of your 4 HQ squares on the Battlefield (moving a card from the BQ into play in an HQ is to "deploy"). Units can be deployed into a HQ square that already has units in it, as long as this doesn't violate Game Rule 3.5 - Five Card Max.
• "SPENT": All units enter into play from the BQ into a HQ square rotated clockwise 90 degrees, with no supplies or ammo and cannot use TCAs until supplied your next turn.
• Go to your BQ2 pile - if that card has a Green BQ Box, put that card on top of BQ1, BQ3 to BQ2, BQ4 to BQ3. Only one card per BQ pile can be moved each Shift step!
• Cards with Green BQ Boxes MUST shift down one BQ pile per turn (never up).
• Cards with Red BQ Boxes never shift. They stay at their BQ# unless "Cancelled".
• Cards with Yellow BQ Boxes shift as stated on the card.

Diagram labels on the sheet, as printed: "Only the TOP cards of each pile go down each BQ Shift step" / "Not ALL of the cards with green BQ Boxes" / "never shifts, can Cancel (6.2)" / "conditional BQ movement (6.2)" / "Deploys into any Battlefield HQ square, rotated, as 'spent'".

6.2 BQ Cancel/Reassign

• Only after the BQ Shift step, can you Cancel a card's "production" in the Build Queue. Simply, remove the card from the game and it cannot be used again. Canceling is sometimes needed to get the units you need, when you need them.
• Some cards will have "/" after their BQ # in the BQ Box. This shows that the card can be reassigned and has specific terms and instructions on the card to do this. Captains, Rear Admirals and Admirals (in the Air/Sea Expansion) have this capability.

6.3 BQ Flip - START GAMES HERE

• Choose a facedown card from the top of ANY BQ pile and flip it over, look in the upper left BQ BOX for a number (BQ#), and place it faceup in that BQ square on top of any cards that may already be there (whether facedown or faceup from previous flips).

For example, if you flip over a facedown card in your BQ that has BQ 4 in its BQ BOX, it goes directly to the BQ 4 square. If the card said BQ 2, place it on the BQ 2 pile, etc.

• Cards with "BQ HQ" goto any of your 4 Battlefield HQ squares, "spent" (see 6.1).
• Cards with "BQ any" goto any Build Queue square you choose.
• Repeat this step as many times as you want, until you state the end of your turn:
  • You may flip the top card from any of your BQ piles, faceup, one at a time, as many times as you want, or of course... until no more facedown cards are on top of any BQ pile.

The sheet's example of a BQ Flip Step uses the Close Air Support prebuilt 8-pack. Flipping (by choice) the top facedown card of: BQ pile 1, BQ pile 3, BQ pile 3 and BQ pile 2. The diagram's "Next Turn's" BQ Shift and "Stop??" labels mark the flip sequence of Flip 1 through Flip 4.

7.0 - Supply Phase

At the beginning of your turn, you can re-supply any "spent" units in play (not in the BQ) during your Supply Phase in one of three ways, and ONLY IN THIS ORDER:

• Step 1: Supply TCA - cards with a Supply TCA can be turned at this time to resupply its valid targets within its range. This is the only time a unit may use its Supply TCA.
• Step 2: Self-Supply - cards with the Self-Supply Trait can resupply themselves in their current location. There is no need to return to a HQ or be resupplied by another unit.
• Step 3: HQ Squares - ALL of your cards in your four Battlefield HQ squares can be resupplied every turn.

7.1 Transporting

Some Supply units can also be used to transport other units, hiding them from view and moving them faster. The yellow Transport Icons, in the upper right corner of a Supply unit, shows how many and what unit types it can carry.

• LOADING: To load onto a transport requires that unit to use 1 Movement Value once in the same square as the Supply unit.
• UNLOADING: At the end of your Supply Phase, all the units a transport is carrying may be unloaded by using the Unload TCA of the transport, which is now "spent".
• Transported units: do not boost any of the Supply unit's values, cannot use their TCAs, and are removed from the game as well if the Supply unit is destroyed.
• Cards under Supply units indicate they are being transported and count as one unit.
• Cards on top, signify the units are not being transported and count as separate units.
• You can't transport (or supply) in your Build Queue; they haven't been "built" yet!

8.0 - Move/Attack Phase

8.1 Movement

• All of your units can move once per turn, either before or after attacking (unless otherwise stated on a card). You choose how many units to move, or none at all.
• Units may move up to as many squares as its Movement Value each turn.
• A unit cannot move, perform an action, then move with remaining movement value.
• Movement is orthogonal (left-right-up-down) not diagonal; therefore a unit would need a Movement Value of 2 or more to move diagonally on the same turn (see REF#3).
• Ground units cannot "move through" a square occupied by opposing ground units - they block each other. Air units (such as helicopters) "pass over" and don't block any units.

8.2 Attacking

Attacking requires that a unit have the Attack TCA listed on their card. Like all Turn Card Abilities, attacking causes a unit to become "spent", and must be used on a player's turn (unless stated on card). There are four basic steps to follow during combat:

• Step 1: Declare Attack - Turn unit sideways to indicate it is attacking, TCA: ATTACK

• Step 2: Target Square - Announce which square the unit attacks within its Range.

• Step 3: Assign Damage - Divide its Attack Damage to any number of valid targets.

• Step 4: Remove Destroyed Units - Remove a unit if the assigned damage equals or exceeds its defense value. Hand that card to the opposing player.

• A unit's Range (in the blue circle) determines which squares it may target, but it may only assign damage in one of these squares (unless a Card Trait supersedes this rule).

• Range is measured in the same way as movement (1 square diagonally is 2 away).

• If the letter "r" is after the number, the unit can target squares within a "radius".

• The capital "R" stands for Row, meaning ALL of the Battlefield squares in those rows.

• An "e" indicates the range is "exact", meaning only squares that are at the exact range, and closer squares cannot be targeted (see 1.1 or REF Card #3).

• A range of 0 (zero) indicates that a unit can only attack units in its current square.

• The damage a unit inflicts per attack is indicated by the number in the red triangle.

• Only valid targets of that card may be damaged in the targeted square. Valid targets are the unit types that unit can damage, and are listed on the bottom of the card.

• The attacking player assigns where the damage a unit inflicts. For example, a unit with an Attack Strength of 3 targeting a square with three units, could damage three units for 1 point, one for 3 points, or one for 2 points and one for 1 point.