Quartermaster General: 1914
Quartermaster General: 1914 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Game board
- Rules booklet
- 216 cards
- 45 Army pieces
- 7 Austria-Hungary
- 4 Ottoman Turkey
- 8 Russia
- 7 Germany
- 6 France
- 4 Italy
- 5 United Kingdom
- 4 United States
- 16 Navy pieces
- 1 Austria-Hungary
- 2 Russia
- 2 Germany
- 2 France
- 1 Italy
- 5 United Kingdom
- 3 United States
- 2 Scoring markers
- 1 Game Round marker
- 6 Objective tokens
- 5 Player Aid sheets
During a game of Quartermaster General: 1914, you will play one or more Powers on either the Central Powers team or Entente team. After 17 rounds of play, the team with the most Victory Points wins the game, although the game may end sooner if one team leads by 12 or more points at the end of a Scoring Round.
Your teammates' pieces (and of course your own) are friendly to you. Your opponents are enemies to you.
Central Powers
- Austria-Hungary & Ottoman Turkey
- Germany
Entente Powers
- Russia
- France & Italy
- United Kingdom & United States
Setup
Player / Power Assignments
First, players choose which Powers they'll play. All five Powers are played every game; when playing with fewer than five, divide the Powers up according to the Player Assignment chart below.
When you play multiple Powers, you play the different Powers separately. The rules text assumes "you" are playing one Power; any time card text refers to "you", it refers to the Power and not the person.
Number of Players
| Player | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player 1 | Austria-Hungary / Ottoman Turkey | Austria-Hungary / Ottoman Turkey | Austria-Hungary / Ottoman Turkey | Austria-Hungary / Ottoman Turkey |
| Player 1 (cont.) | Germany | Germany | Germany | |
| Player 2 | Russia | Russia | Russia | Russia |
| Player 2 (cont.) | France / Italy | France / Italy | ||
| Player 2 (cont.) | UK / US | |||
| Player 3 | UK / US | France / Italy | Germany | |
| Player 4 | UK / US | France / Italy | ||
| Player 5 | UK / US |
Powers and Countries
Three of the five Powers have cards from two different countries. When playing a power with two countries, your two countries' cards are commingled in one deck.
When playing one of these Powers, you still only get one turn per round, so you must divide your attentions between the two countries.
When reading the rules and the cards, pay careful attention to when a Country or a Power is specified.
When playing a Power with two countries, the general rule is: If the face of the card is revealed, then the card is country-specific; if the card is not revealed, the country doesn't matter. (Naturally, a card must be revealed any time information on the face is being used.)
Opening Setup
| Country | Initial Setup |
|---|---|
| Austria-Hungary | Army – Vienna; Army – Budapest |
| Russia | Army – Moscow; Army – Serbia |
| Germany | Army – Berlin; Army – Western Germany |
| France | Army – Paris; Army – Burgundy |
| United Kingdom | Army – Britain; Navy – North Atlantic |
Place each team's Victory Point marker on 0 of the Victory Point track. Place the Game Round marker on Round 1 of the Game Round track. Give each player a Player Aid sheet.
Shuffle and draw 10 cards from your Power's deck. Examine the cards you drew and choose 7 of them to be your opening hand. Place the remaining 3 cards on the bottom of your draw deck.
Mulligan (optional rule)
If you believe your first draw of cards unplayable, you may reshuffle your whole deck and try drawing 10 cards again. This is known as a mulligan. However, once you decide to take a mulligan, you must play with the second draw — you can't take another mulligan.
Power & Country Profiles
Austria-Hungary / Ottoman Turkey
You will likely be the main point earner for the Central Powers due to the number of Objectives in the Balkans. At the same time you go about grabbing Victory Points, don't forget to assist Germany in defeating your foes. Your first move may set the direction for the game.
Germany
Germany faces a two-front war, and is the obvious target for a concentrated attack by the Entente Powers. Germany is almost strong enough to deflect attacks from all fronts, but only almost! The Central Powers must pick one Entente Power to focus upon — to completely wear one Power out while holding the line against the other two.
Russia
Early in the game things will generally seem to be going well, but the end of the monarchy is always around the corner. As Russia, you cannot afford to use prepared cards as robustly as you might like, or you may suffer from a too-early exit from the hostilities as the Central Powers start to whittle your deck into nothing. Choose your battles wisely and you'll have almost enough cards for the whole game.
France / Italy
France needs to secure Burgundy and Picardy as early as possible, while Italy needs to make sure Rome and the Italian Alps are likewise secure. You'll want to be preparing a lot of Reinforce Army cards while you get your offense ready. Saving France's offensive capability until mid-game will make it more effective with the addition of some of its Status cards.
United Kingdom / United States
The United Kingdom & United States player is foremost a naval power. However, the war will be won on land. The United Kingdom usually finds itself compelled by the situation in France to send an Army to ensure that Picardy or Paris doesn't fall. It will take some time for the United States' presence to be felt, but if you consistently ignore or discard the USA cards you may find your end game weak.
The Game Board
Most of the game board is a map of Europe at the time of the Great War. The map is divided into Land, Sea, and Neutral spaces. Land spaces may be clear terrain or difficult terrain. Adjacent spaces share a common border.
Game board features
- Land space, clear terrain
- Land space, difficult terrain
- Sea space
- Neutral space
- Home space (Home spaces are also Objectives)
- Objective
- Victory Point track
- Game Round track
Kiel Canal
The Baltic Sea and the North Sea are considered adjacent for the Central Powers, but not for the Entente Powers. (It doesn't matter who controls Western Germany.)
Order of play
A game can last up to 17 rounds. During a round, each Power takes its turn in the following order:
- Austria-Hungary / Ottoman Turkey
- Russia
- Germany
- France / Italy
- United Kingdom / United States
Scoring Rounds: A Scoring Round occurs at the end of rounds 3, 7, 11, 15, and 17, after the United Kingdom / United States turn.
Each turn, you'll go through the following 5 steps. Each step is optional!
Turn Sequence
- Draft step: You may draft a card (see Draft Step, page 19)
- Play step: You may play a single card from your hand (see Play Step, page 20).
- Attrition step: You may discard a single prepared card with an Attrition Prepare symbol (see Attrition Step, page 22)
- Prepare step: You may prepare a single card from your hand; or you may "unprepare" one card (see Prepare Step, page 23).
- Draw step: You may draw cards from your draw deck until your hand has seven cards (see Draw Step, page 23).
Pieces
There are two types of pieces: Armies and Navies.
A country receives a fixed number of pieces for the game; if all are in play, no more are available to be placed. Pieces removed from the board for any reason become available to be placed.
At any time during your turn you may remove your own piece from the board to make it available.
- Armies may be placed in Land spaces.
- Navies may be placed in Sea spaces.
- A country can never have more than one piece in a space.
- Each country on a team can have a (single) piece in a space. For example, France and the United Kingdom could each have an Army in Belgium, since they are on the same team.
- You can never place a piece in a space occupied by an enemy piece.
- No pieces can be placed in Neutral spaces.
These rules regarding pieces override any card text. For example, if an Event card directs you to build a piece in a space but that space is occupied by an enemy piece, you may not build a piece there.
Supply
A piece is either supplied or out of supply. Supply affects a number of actions, including where you can build new pieces (see Placing Pieces, page 12), where you can battle (see Battle, page 24), and whether you can reinforce a battled piece (see Resolving Battle, page 26). In addition, some cards may also specify that a piece be supplied in order to perform the action on the card.
Your piece is supplied if you can trace a supply line. A supply line is a continuous line of spaces from a piece to its own country's Home space, each occupied by one of that country's pieces. The Home space itself must be occupied by the country's own Army.
You cannot trace supply through other countries' pieces, not even when you are playing a Power with two countries.
Supply Example
Russia has an Army in Moscow, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Serbia, as well as a Navy in the Black Sea. All of the pieces except the Army in Serbia are supplied.
Placing Pieces
Armies and Navies come into play when you build or recruit them.
Build
When you are directed to build a piece, place a piece on an appropriate space: Armies on Land, Navies at Sea. A piece may only be built in a space if it will be in supply at the moment it is built.
The most common way to build pieces is through the play of Build Army and Build Navy cards.
Recruit
When a card directs you to recruit a piece, put it in the space specified, regardless of supply. A piece does not need to be in supply when it is recruited.
Recruiting a piece does not count as building it. Status cards that require a piece to be built are not triggered.
Cards
Each Power has a separate draw deck, hand, and discard pile of cards. In addition, a Power may have face-down prepared cards (see Preparing a Card, page 14) and face-up Status cards on the table.
Playing Cards and Preparing Cards
Each card is made up of:
- Card type
- Title
- Play text (if any)
- Supply symbol (if any)
- Prepare symbol(s)
- Prepare text (if any)
You can use your cards in several ways, as described below.
Playing a Card
During your Play step, you may play one card from your hand. When you play a card during your Play step, only the card type and Play text are used. The Prepare symbol, Prepare text, and Supply symbol are ignored.
When a card is played, place it on top of your discard pile.
Preparing a Card
During your Prepare step, you may take one card from your hand and place it face-down on the table in front of you; it is now known as a prepared card.
Depending on the Prepare symbol, a prepared card might be used in battle (see Battle, page 24), or during your Attrition step (see Attrition Step, page 22). Or a prepared card might be discarded to satisfy an Economic Warfare card (see Economic Warfare, page 22) or enemy Attrition (see Attrition Step, page 22).
Once a card is prepared, its Card type and Play text are ignored; the card is now referred to by its Prepare symbol (or Title).
Prepare Symbols
| Symbol | Use When |
|---|---|
| Reinforce Army | Your Army is battled |
| Double Reinforce Army | Your Army is battled |
| Reinforce Navy | Your Navy is battled |
| Double Reinforce Navy | Your Navy is battled |
| Sustain Land Battle | You battle an enemy Army |
| Double Sustain Land Battle | You battle an enemy Army |
| Sustain Sea Battle | You battle an enemy Navy |
| Double Sustain Sea Battle | You battle an enemy Navy |
| Counterattack (Land Battle) | Your supplied Army survives a battle (see Resolving Battle, page 26) |
| Single Attrition example | During your Attrition step (see Attrition Step, page 22). Card back icons indicate how many cards each Power must lose. |
| Double Attrition example | During your Attrition step (see Attrition Step, page 22). Card back icons indicate how many cards each Power must lose. |
| Triple Attrition example | During your Attrition step (see Attrition Step, page 22). Card back icons indicate how many cards each Power must lose. |
Discarding Cards
Cards are discarded to either the top of the discard pile or the bottom of the discard pile.
Discard face-up to the top of your discard pile whenever the game information on the front of the card is being used, like when you play a card during the Play step, or when you use a prepared card in battle. Whenever the game information on the front of the card is important, the card is discarded to the top of your discard pile where other players can examine it.
However, there are many instances where you will discard cards without using any of the game information on the front of the card. These discards may be voluntary or involuntary, depending on the situation. When a card is discarded and the game information on the front of the card is not being considered, the card is discarded to the bottom of your discard pile without being revealed to the other players. (You may always examine your own discard pile.)
When you are directed to discard a card but the card type or Prepare symbol is not specified, discard for the Power, not the country. The card front is not revealed to the other players, and the card is placed on the bottom of your discard pile.
Some of the common situations when cards are discarded without being revealed include: when you draft a card (see Draft Step, page 19), battle into difficult terrain (see Difficult Terrain, page 25), satisfy a loss from an Economic Warfare card or Attrition (see Discarding Due to Attrition Symbols, page 22), or as directed by a card.
Discard Example 1
Stosstruppen requires that a prepared card with a Sustain Land Battle symbol be discarded to be used. Since the Sustain Land Battle symbol is game information on the front of the card, it would be discarded to the top of the discard pile.
Stosstruppen prepare text: Use once per turn after you build an Army. Discard a prepared Sustain Land Battle and battle a space adjacent to the Army just built.
Discard Example 2
Germany battles a French Army and has the Status card Mustard Gas face-up on the table. The discard may be French or Italian, since neither the Card type nor the Prepare symbol was specified. None of the other players will know which card was discarded.
Mustard Gas prepare text: Use once per turn when you initiate battle in a Land space. Your choice of one of the countries in the space battled must discard a prepared card.
Running Out of Cards
If your draw deck runs out of cards, you can no longer draw cards during the Draw step, but otherwise you continue playing. If your draw deck and your hand are both empty, you do keep playing to use your prepared cards (including "unpreparing" a card, see Prepare Step, page 23) and score Victory Points.
The following rules apply when you must discard cards but cannot.
- If you must discard a card from your draw deck but your draw deck is empty, your team loses 1 Victory Point.
- If you must discard a card from hand, but your hand is empty, your team loses 1 Victory Point.
- If you must discard a prepared card from the table but you do not have any cards prepared, your team loses 1 Victory Point.
- If you must discard a Status card from the table, but you do not have one to discard, there is no effect.
When discarding is a prerequisite for an optional action, like when you battle into difficult terrain, you must discard a card. If you cannot discard, you do not meet the prerequisite and cannot perform the optional action.
Complex Cards
Some cards are more straightforward than others. Below are some rules to help you interpret a card's game text.
- If a card requires you to discard cards, or has some other requirement, these requirement(s) must be met before you can gain the beneficial effect of the card. For example, if you play Franz Ferdinand Avenged, you need to discard a card from hand before performing any of the other card actions.
- One benefit is not a requirement of another benefit unless specifically stated. For example, if you play Franz Ferdinand Avenged, and Serbia is unoccupied, there is no need to battle the empty space before building.
- Yes, some Economic Warfare cards target the Power that played the card!
- Actions on a card should be performed in the order they appear.
- Some cards allow you to play other cards. For example, Prussian Military Tradition allows you to play a Status card in addition to its other benefits.
- One action on a card should be completed prior to beginning the next action. For example, when you play Franz Ferdinand Avenged, if you battle in Serbia, the battle must be resolved (see Battle, page 24) before you can build a piece. Likewise, if you play Prussian Military Tradition, a card you prepared as the first action could be used in the subsequent battle.
- If a card has multiple benefits, you do not have to take advantage of each benefit. For example, if you play Prussian Military Tradition, you could prepare a card, decline to play a Status card, and then battle a Land space.
Franz Ferdinand Avenged prepare text: To use, discard a card from your hand. Austria-Hungary may battle in Serbia; then build an Austro-Hungarian Army in Serbia.
Prussian Military Tradition prepare text: Prepare a card; then play a Status card; then battle a Land space.
Who can see what?
You cannot reveal your hand or your prepared cards to other players (even your teammates), unless directed by a card. Other players may know the number of cards in your hand, draw deck, discard pile, as well as the number of your prepared cards on the table. You may inspect your own discard pile at any time.
The one top card of your discard pile and any face-up Status cards on the table are known to all players.
When a card is discarded without its game information being considered (see Discarding Cards, page 16), it is discarded to the bottom of your discard pile.
Your play group may negotiate a more or less strict policy. At a minimum, private communication between teammates (such as showing each other cards) should not be allowed, even if a more lax amount of "table talk" is permitted.
Draft Step
During your Draft step you may discard two cards from your hand to take a Build Army or Build Navy card from your draw deck, show it to the other players, and add it to your hand. Afterwards, shuffle your draw deck. You may only draft one card per Draft step.
Before you discard to draft a card, you may want to consult the player Aid sheet to determine if there are any more copies of the card you wish to draft left in your draw deck. (You can examine your discards, hand, and prepared cards at any time.)
Some Event and Economic Warfare cards will allow you to draft a card "at no cost". This means you do not have to discard any cards from your hand. A draft due to Play text on an Event or Economic Warfare card is in addition to the one in your Draft step.
Play Step
During your Play step, you may play one card. Below is information about how to play the various types of cards.
- Build Army: Build an Army (see Build, page 13).
- Build Navy: Build a Navy (see Build, page 13).
- Land Battle: Battle a Land space (see Battle, page 24).
- Sea Battle: Battle a Sea space (see Battle, page 24).
- Event: The Play text on Event cards specifies what to do when it is played. (See Complex Cards, page 18, for more information on resolving cards during the Play step.)
- Economic Warfare: Economic Warfare cards force Powers to discard cards, and may provide other benefits. For each icon of a Power on a card, that Power must discard a card. For example, if the German player plays Zeppelins, United Kingdom / United States would need to discard 3 cards and France / Italy would need to discard 1 card. In addition, the Central Powers would (immediately) receive 1 Victory Point. Discards forced by Attrition Symbols in Play text are handled the same way as discards due to Attrition (see Attrition Step, page 22).
- Status: Status cards are played face-up on the table. The Play text on a Status card indicates the situations where it is effective and what it does.
- Playing a Status card to the table during your Play step is your Play step for that turn; you do not get to play another card during that Play step (unless playing a Status card is just one of the benefits of another card – see Complex Cards, page 18). You may play a Status card to the table, even if it is not useful. For example, the United Kingdom player could always play Girls with the Yellow Hands regardless of how many Navies were on the board. However, the card cannot be used until the United Kingdom has 3 Navies in play.
- You are never required to take advantage of your own Status cards.
- Status cards stay on the table and are potentially useful throughout the game.
- There is no limit to the number of face-up Status cards you can have on the table.
Attrition Step
During the Attrition step, you may discard a single prepared card with one or more Attrition symbols, in order to force enemy Power(s) to discard card(s).
A card with 2 or 3 Attrition symbols will have icons of the Powers that must discard cards. For example, Germany has Prize Rules Submarine Warfare prepared from a prior turn. During the Attrition step, Germany reveals and discards the card, requiring the United Kingdom / United States to discard 2 cards.
A card with a single Attrition symbol will never specify which Power must discard. You can use a single Attrition symbol to target any enemy Power, as long as one of your Armies is adjacent to an Army of that enemy Power. Your Army does not need to be in supply.
Attrition symbols: Any power, Austria-Hungary / Ottoman Turkey, Germany, Russia, France / Italy, United Kingdom / United States.
Discarding Due to Attrition Symbols
Discarding cards due to Attrition or Attrition Symbols in Play text (e.g. Economic Warfare cards) are both handled in the same way. However, the rules in this section only apply when discarding due to Attrition Symbols, and not for other reasons.
- Discards are specific to the Power, not the country; the cards are not revealed.
- Discards may be taken from your hand, prepared cards, or from the top of your draw deck. (You cannot inspect the cards in your draw deck first!) You cannot discard face-up Status cards from the table.
- You are never required to discard your prepared cards or cards from your hand; if your draw deck runs out of cards, you may deduct 1 Victory Point for every card you were unable to discard, instead of discarding your prepared cards or cards from your hand.
- You cannot voluntarily deduct a Victory Point if you still have a card in your draw deck.
Prepare Step
During your Prepare step you may either prepare one card or "unprepare" one card.
To prepare a card, take a card from your hand and place it face-down on the table in front of you; it is now known as a prepared card.
The Card type and Play text are ignored on a prepared card. Once a card has been prepared, the card is referred to by its Prepare symbol name (see Prepare Symbols, page 15). For example, Stosstruppen requires the German player to discard a prepared card with a Sustain Land Battle symbol.
Prepared cards with double symbols can always be used where a single symbol is required, but are also always bound to the geographic restrictions of the Prepare text. For example, if Schlieffen Plan was prepared, it could be discarded to meet the requirement to use Stosstruppen, but only if the battle was in Belgium, Picardy, or Paris.
Stosstruppen prepare text: Use once per turn after you build an Army. Discard a prepared Sustain Land Battle and battle a space adjacent to the Army just built.
Unpreparing a Card
If you do not prepare a card during your Prepare step, you may choose to "unprepare" a card instead. Take a card you had previously prepared off of the table and add it to your hand.
Draw Step
During the Draw step, you may take cards into your hand from the top of your draw deck until your hand has 7 cards.
You do not have to draw all the way to 7 cards, in the rare situation when that might be preferable.
In the very rare situation you start the Draw step with more than 7 cards in hand, continue playing as normal, with 8 or more cards. You don't have to discard to get your hand down to 7 cards.
Battle
Battle is the most usual way to remove enemy pieces from the board. Battle is usually initiated due to the play of a Land Battle or Sea Battle card, but may also be initiated as a result of an Event or Status card, or a prepared Counterattack card.
A battle is initiated before it is resolved. Cards that specify an effect when a battle is initiated are not prerequisites to battle, but take effect before combat is resolved.
If an attack is successful, all enemy pieces in the space battled are removed from the board (and are thereby made available to be built or recruited). It doesn't matter how many pieces are in the space battled; a successful battle will remove all of the pieces.
Prerequisites for Battle
A Land battle is an attack on a Land space. To battle a Land space, you must have a supplied piece (Army or Navy) adjacent to the space battled. You must indicate which one of your pieces is initiating the battle.
A Sea battle is an attack on a Sea space. To battle a Sea space, you must have a supplied piece (Army or Navy) adjacent to the Sea space battled. You must indicate which one of your pieces is initiating the battle.
On land or sea, you may battle an empty space, if that is advantageous to you. You must still discard a card from hand to battle an empty space if it is difficult terrain (see below).
Difficult Terrain
When you battle into difficult terrain, you must discard a card from your hand before the battle is initiated. (Thus, you cannot battle into difficult Terrain if you have no cards in your hand to discard.) The discarded card is not revealed, and is placed on the bottom of the discard pile; this discard is Power-specific, not country-specific.
Whenever a Navy battles a Land space, that Land space is considered difficult terrain for the duration of the battle; likewise, when an Army battles a Sea space, the Sea Space is considered difficult terrain for the duration of the battle.
The two effects are not cumulative – if your Navy battles a Difficult Terrain Land space, you do not need to discard 2 cards from hand.
Event cards that allow you to battle in difficult terrain do not satisfy the requirement of discarding a card from hand unless the Event card explicitly states otherwise (for example, Bersaglieri).
Bersaglieri prepare text: Italy may battle a Land space. Do not pay the difficult terrain penalty this turn.
When resolving combat, you must pay the difficult terrain penalty each time you wish to use a prepared Sustain Land Battle or Sustain Sea Battle card (see Resolving Battle, page 26). You only need to discard once per Sustain Land Battle or Sustain Sea Battle card, regardless of whether it has a single symbol or double symbol. If you cannot discard a card from hand, you cannot use a Sustain Land Battle or Sustain Sea Battle in difficult terrain.
Difficult terrain on the board is shown in brown. For example, Vienna, Tyrol, Budapest, Serbia, and Bulgaria are all considered difficult terrain, while Romania and Ukraine are not.
Difficult Terrain Example
The United Kingdom / United States player plays Gallipoli on its turn. The cost of battling into difficult terrain is not included, so the player must discard one card from hand. (This card is not revealed, so it can be either a United Kingdom or a United States card.)
Gallipoli prepare text: Build a United Kingdom Navy in the Eastern Mediterranean; then build a United Kingdom Army in Istanbul; then battle Istanbul.
Battle vs. Eliminate
The Play text on some Event cards will instruct you to eliminate a piece; others specify a battle. When an Event card specifies a battle, the prerequisites for battle must be observed, including difficult terrain costs.
However, when a card directs you to eliminate a piece, the piece is simply removed from the board. Unlike battle, there are no prerequisites to a piece being eliminated. You do not have to discard a card to eliminate an Army in difficult terrain, nor must you have a supplied piece adjacent to the piece being removed.
Status cards that are activated due to "battle" are not activated when a piece is eliminated. You cannot use a Reinforce card (see Resolving Battle, page 26) to prevent a piece from being eliminated.
Resolving Battle
Land battles and sea battles are resolved very similarly.
- During a land battle, the defender can use prepared Reinforce Army cards to prevent its Armies from being removed. The attacker can use prepared Sustain Land Battle cards to overcome the defender's Reinforce Army cards.
- During a sea battle, the defender can use prepared Reinforce Navy cards to prevent its Navies from being removed. The attacker can use prepared Sustain Sea Battle cards to overcome the defender's Reinforce Navy cards.
Prepare Text
On some cards, the Prepare text will specify on what spaces a card can be used. For example, if Provisional Government of National Defence is prepared, it can only be used in defense of an Army in Greece.
Provisional Government of National Defence prepare text: Place an Objective token on Greece. Then recruit a United Kingdom Army in Greece.
When a prepared card is revealed, its Prepare text applies, even if the card is being used for a different purpose than battle. For example, the United Kingdom successfully attacks Western Germany and has the Mark IV Tanks Status face-up on the table. The United Kingdom cannot discard a prepared Gallipoli, as that card can only be used in or adjacent to Anatolia.
Mark IV Tanks prepare text: Use once per turn, after the United Kingdom (UK) resolves battle in a Land Space not considered difficult terrain. Discard a prepared UK Sustain Land Battle and build a UK Army in the space battled.
Prepare text always refers to the space where the battle is occurring (and not the space from which the battle is initiated).
Double Symbol Cards
You can always use a prepared Double Reinforce or Double Sustain card when a single (regular) card of the same type would suffice, subject to the limitations of the Prepare text. For example, if the United Kingdom had Mark IV Tanks on the table, and had The Somme prepared, it could discard The Somme to meet the requirement of Mark IV Tanks following a battle in Picardy.
Supply
Reinforce Army cards cannot be used to support a piece that is out of supply, except when the Supply symbol is present. A Reinforce Army card with the Supply symbol can be used to defend an out-of-supply Army.
Procedure
During battle, the defender and attacker take turns using prepared Reinforce and Sustain cards to determine the outcome. When a battle is initiated, the defender may reveal and discard a prepared Reinforce (or Double Reinforce) card of the appropriate type (Army in a Land Battle, Navy in a Sea Battle) to prevent the defending pieces from being removed. The Reinforce card must be from a country with a supplied piece defending in the battle. When more than one defending country has a supplied piece in the space battled, a prepared card from any of these countries can be used — you do not need to discard a prepared Reinforce card for each defending piece. Teammates must decide openly who will use a prepared card if more than one is able.
If the defending pieces remain on the board due to the use of a Reinforce card, the attacker may use a prepared Sustain Battle (or Double Sustain Battle) card of the appropriate type (Land Battle or Sea Battle) to continue the battle. The attacker must discard sufficient Sustain Battle symbols so that the total discarded in the battle equals or exceeds the total number of Reinforce symbols discarded by the defender in the battle. This may require one or two cards.
If you are battling into Difficult Terrain, you must discard one more card from hand for each prepared Sustain (card single or double) you use.
If the attacker sustains the battle, the defender may again discard a prepared Reinforce card to prevent the pieces from being removed. The defender must discard sufficient Reinforce Army symbols so that the total for the battle exceeds the number of Sustain Battle symbols discarded by the attacker in the battle.
The attacker can again sustain the battle, and the defender(s) reinforce, taking turns until one side or the other does not continue.
You are not required to use your prepared Reinforce or Sustain cards in a battle.
Note that the number of symbols is cumulative throughout the battle. Therefore if the attacker used a Double Sustain Land Battle after the defender used a single Reinforce Army, the defender would need to discard a prepared Double Reinforce Army, or two separate single Reinforce Army cards, to prevent its Armies from being removed. However, if the Attacker used a Double Sustain Land Battle due to the defender's initial Double Reinforce Army, only a single Reinforce Army symbol would be necessary to prevent the defender's pieces from being removed.
Counterattack
Counterattack is a special Prepare symbol which can be used by a defender after an unsuccessful battle. If an attacker is unable to discard sufficient Sustain Land Battle cards to remove the defending Armies (and therefore gives up the battle), a defending country with a prepared Counterattack card can reveal and discard it to initiate a land battle against the space from which the attack against it was initiated.
Counterattacks:
- Can only be used following an unsuccessful Land Battle;
- Can only be used if the Army of the country using the Counterattack is supplied;
- Can only be directed at Land Spaces. If a Navy initiated battle against an Army, Counterattack cannot be used against the Navy.
- Are resolved like other battles. The Army from the country that used the counterattack is the piece that initiates the battle.
- If successful, will remove all defending Armies in the space battled by the Counterattack, not just the Army that originally initiated the battle.
- A Counterattack against Difficult Terrain requires the discard of a card from hand, like any other battle.
Scoring & Victory
As teams, the Central Powers and the Entente Powers accumulate Victory Points (VPs) throughout the game. Each team's Victory Point marker is moved along the track around the edge the board to record its score.
Gaining & Losing Victory Points during Regular Play
Some cards will direct you to gain (or lose) Victory Points during the Play step. These points are scored immediately. Likewise, Victory Points deducted due to running out of cards are recorded immediately (see Running Out of Cards, page 17). Note that you can never go below 0 Victory Points – if a situation arises where you must deduct Victory Points and your team is currently at 0, add the same number of Victory Points to the enemy team's total instead.
Objective Tokens
Some Event cards will direct you to place an Objective token on the board. The placing of this token is never optional when it is directed by the card. However, only one Objective token can occupy a space. If a card directs you to place a token where there is one already, consider it to be done. Once placed, Objective tokens stay on the board for the rest of the game and can potentially provide Victory Points for either team.
Scoring Rounds
Scoring Rounds occur at the of end of the game rounds 3, 7, 11, 15, and 17, after the United Kingdom / United States turn, as shown on the Game Round track. During a Scoring Round, each team gains a number of Victory Points equal to the number of Objectives their Armies occupy, including spaces with Objective tokens. In addition, certain Status cards will provide Victory Points.
Your Armies do not need to be in supply to score Victory Points! Your team only receives one Victory Point per Objective, even if an Objective is occupied by Armies from more than one country.
If a country's Home space is occupied by an enemy Army when a Scoring Round occurs, that country's Armies and Status cards cannot be used to collect Victory Points. If a Power has two countries, and an enemy Army occupies the Home space of one of its countries, it still collects Victory Points for the other country.
Victory
Victory is always determined for an entire team (Entente Powers or Central Powers), not individual players or Powers.
Sudden Victory
If one team is 12 or more points ahead at the end of any Scoring Round, that team wins. Sudden Victory is only evaluated during a Scoring Round.
Scoring Victory
At the end of round 17 the team with more Victory Points wins. In the event of a tie, the Central Powers team wins.
Extended Example of Play
Example 1
It is the beginning of Round 4. Austria-Hungary has Armies in Vienna, Galicia, and Budapest. Austria-Hungary / Ottoman Turkey (referred to as Austria below) starts the turn with 7 cards in hand, including Franz Ferdinand Avenged. Austria also has prepared an Austro-Hungarian Sustain Land Battle, as well as an Attrition card.
Franz Ferdinand Avenged prepare text: To use, discard a card from your hand. Austria-Hungary may battle in Serbia; then build an Austro-Hungarian Army in Serbia.
Russia has Armies in Moscow, Ukraine, and Serbia. Russia also has prepared a Reinforce Army and Montenegro, which is a Reinforce Army in Serbia.
Austria takes the first turn. During the Draft step, Austria decides to discard 2 cards to search its draw deck for an Austro-Hungarian Build Army card, and take the card into hand. It doesn't matter which two cards are discarded — they could be Ottoman cards, since these discards do not reveal the face of the card.
During the Play step, Austria plays Franz Ferdinand Avenged from hand, discarding it to the top of its discard pile. The Play text specifies that the player must discard a card from hand in order to use the card. Then Austria must discard another card from hand to battle the difficult terrain of Serbia. Again, these cards are not shown, so can be either Austro-Hungarian or Ottoman Turk.
Russia reveals and discards Montenegro as a Reinforce Army in Serbia. Normally prepared cards cannot be used on behalf of an out-of-supply piece, but the Montenegro card has the Supply symbol, so Russia can use it.
Austria now reveals and discards its prepared Sustain Land Battle. Due to the difficult terrain, Austria must also discard another card from hand to use the Sustain Land Battle.
Since the Army in Serbia is out of supply, Russia cannot use its prepared Build Army card as a Reinforce Army in this battle, so the battle is over and Russia removes its Army. Austria then builds an Austro-Hungarian Army in Serbia, as the Play text on Franz Ferdinand Avenged allows.
During the Attrition step, Austria reveals and discards Morava Offensive, forcing Russia to discard a card. Russia discards a card from hand to the bottom of its discard pile without revealing it.
During the Prepare step, Austria prepares an Austro-Hungarian Build Army card by taking it from hand and placing it face-down on the table.
Finally, during the Draw step Austria draws 5 cards to complete its turn.
Example 2
It is the Germany's turn on Round 3. Germany has Armies in Berlin, Prussia, Western Germany, and Belgium. The Status card Stosstruppen is on the table. Germany has 7 cards in hand, including the Schlieffen Plan and a Land Battle; and has two Sustain Land Battle cards prepared.
Schlieffen Plan prepare text: Prepare a card; then battle in Belgium, Picardy, or Paris; then build in the space battled.
France has Armies in Paris and Burgundy. France has two cards prepared: Paris Taxis for a Double Reinforce Army in or adjacent to Paris, and La Revanche, which has a Counterattack Prepare symbol.
The United Kingdom has Armies in Britain and Picardy, and Navies in the English Channel and the North Atlantic. The United Kingdom has one Reinforce Army card prepared.
During its Play step, Germany plays the Schlieffen Plan, placing the card on its discard pile. The first action on the card allows Germany to prepare a card. Germany prepares a Land Battle card with a Sustain Land Battle symbol by taking it from hand and placing it face-down on the table.
Using the second action of the Schlieffen Plan, Germany then battles Picardy. The United Kingdom discards its prepared Reinforce Army card to save the Army in Picardy. Then Germany discards one of its prepared Sustain Land Battle cards to continue the battle (Germany uses Schlieffen Plan to battle the UK army in Picardy). The United Kingdom cannot reinforce further, and so removes its Army in Picardy from the board.
Germany then uses the final action of the Schlieffen Plan to build an Army in Picardy.
After Germany builds the Army, it discards a second prepared Sustain Land Battle card to activate Stosstruppen and battle Paris (...then build an army of its own).
France reveals the prepared Paris Taxis, which has a Double Reinforce symbol. Germany cannot overcome the Double Reinforce with its single remaining prepared Sustain Land Battle card and declines to use it. The French Army survives.
France, however, has a nasty surprise for Germany, and reveals the prepared La Revanche card with its Counterattack symbol (France uses its prepared Counterattack to destroy the newly-built German army). The French Army initiates battle against the German Army in Picardy, and since Germany is unable to reinforce, the German Army is removed from the board. C'est la guerre!
Credits
Game Designer: Ian Brody Producer: Will Townshend Graphic Design & Illustration: Nicholas Avallone Developer: Karin Weston-Brody Rules Editing: John Velonis Playtesters: William Bernard Ashbaugh, Simon Croquet, Frank DiNola III, Sharon Douglas, Sean Richard Druelinger, jellynut, John L. Velonis, Paul W. McCarthy, Jeffrey M Warrender
© 2016 PSC Games
Contact us: PSC Games Units 13-15 Henfield Business Park Shoreham Road Henfield West Sussex BN5 9SL United Kingdom www.theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk www.pscgames.co.uk [email protected] 00 44 (0)1273 492730