Sans Alliés Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Complexity Option
• LIMITED WAR
  • Set-Up
  • Order of Operations
  • Draw New Cards
  • Deploy Units
  • Resolve Invasions
  • Check Enemy Research
  • Resolve End-of-Turn Actions
  • Capturing Installations
  • Personnel Strength
  • Upgrades
  • Game End
• TOTAL WAR
  • Set-Up for Total War
  • Season Tile/End-of-Turn
  • Commanders
  • Espionage
  • Modifications to Invasion Resolution in Total War
  • Garrisons
  • Scorched Earth
  • Prison Camps
  • Scoring (optional)
  • Adjusting Difficulty (optional)

Components

• 1 enemy nation deck (48 cards)
• 1 production deck (71 cards)
• 1 player aid card
• 17 assorted information chits
• 2 dice (6-sided) of different colors
• 2 small tokens/pawns (both optional)

Complexity Option

These rules distinguish between Limited War (simplified rules) and Total War (complete rules). When first learning the game, it is recommended you play the Limited War. Once you feel comfortable, you may wish to enjoy the game at its full complexity by implementing the rules for Total War.

LIMITED WAR

Set-Up

Remove the commander cards from the production deck. They are not used in the Limited War rules. Separate the production deck from the enemy nation deck. Shuffle the entire production deck and set this aside, face down, to be used as your draw deck (1). Designate a space for a discard pile (2).

From the enemy nation deck, temporarily remove the five resource center cards and the enemy capital card, and shuffle what remains. After shuffling, remove 12 enemy nation cards from the deck, and set the pile aside, face up, as a discard pile (3) for region cards (separate from the discard pile for the production deck). Then, add back in the five resource center cards and reshuffle the enemy nation deck. Once done, deal out 36 region cards, all face up, starting with the enemy capital card (4), in a pyramid formation, building each tier in order from left to right, as illustrated by the playing field diagram (5).

As also shown in the diagram, lay the four unit-type chits across the bottom of the enemy nation with some space between them and with the undeveloped (lower value) side face-up (6). Lay the eight enemy-technology chits along the side of the enemy-nation, one at each tier (7). The enemy-technology chits are alphabetically marked in the lower right corner; they should be arranged alphabetically, with "A" at the bottom tier and "H" at the top tier (enemy capital). Place the enemy progress chit (8), gray side up, next to and pointing at the first enemy-technology chit ("chit A"). Save space for your reserve columns (9), and keep the player aid card (10) handy. At this point, the game is ready to play according to the rules for Limited War. Ignore items 11 and 12, as well as the coordinates shown on the region cards in the diagram; these items are only used in Total War.

Order of Operations

For each turn, you must obey the following play sequence:

1. Draw new cards from your production deck.
2. Deploy units into your reserve columns.
3. Resolve invasions.
4. Check enemy research.
5. Resolve end-of-turn actions.

Each step in the play sequence is explained in greater detail below.

Draw New Cards

From the top of your production deck you may draw three cards, plus one additional card for each enemy resource center you have captured (see Capturing Installations).

If you draw an enemy breakthrough card, and the current enemy research level is 3 (see Check Enemy Research), you must immediately move the enemy progress chit up one increment, aside the next highest enemy technology chit. If the current enemy research level is 4 or higher, do not change it. Either way, discard the enemy breakthrough card, and do not replace it in your draw for this turn. Repeat this process if you draw more than one enemy breakthrough card at the same time.

If you draw an ultimate weapon card and do not have the ultimate weapon upgrade (see Upgrades), you must discard the card without replacing it.

Whenever the draw pile is depleted, shuffle the discard pile and turn it over to become the new draw pile.

Deploy Units

Distribute ALL of your drawn unit cards onto the playing field. There are four types of regular units: personnel, vehicles, aircraft, and ships. Lay the cards in columns according to their unit type below the corresponding unit-type chits. These are called your reserve columns and represent the number of each unit type available to you for invasions and other operations in the current turn. If you have the ultimate weapon upgrade (see Upgrades), and you have an ultimate weapon card to add to your reserves, simply lay it nearby on the playing field; there is no corresponding unit-type chit or column for ultimate weapon cards.

Resolve Invasions

Invasions are the means by which you capture and remove the region cards that comprise the enemy nation. Your ultimate goal is to capture enough region cards to expose the enemy capital card, and then to conduct a successful invasion against the enemy capital.

After deploying all your units to your reserve columns, you may attempt as many invasions for the current turn as you are willing to risk and are legally able to conduct. You may attempt invasions in any order you wish. Each invasion is conducted on a single region card, and each invasion must be fully resolved, individually, before another invasion is attempted against another region. (Once you have selected a region to invade attempt.)

Exposure. You may attempt an invasion against any region that is sufficiently exposed. In Limited War, a region is considered "exposed" if either one or both of the card's bottom corners is uncovered. The entire bottom row of the enemy nation is already completely exposed at the start of the game. On your turn, you may attempt an invasion of any sufficiently exposed region at any row of the enemy nation, even if some regions in lower rows have not been captured. If a successful invasion and capture results in the sufficient exposure of another region, you may attempt an invasion of the newly exposed region on the same turn, provided all other conditions are met.

Commit the Invasionary Force. First determine the defensive value of the target region. In Limited War, the defensive value of any region is the value printed in the castle tower icon on the enemy-technology chit at that region's row.

In order to attempt an invasion of an exposed region, you must assemble in your hand, from your reserve columns, a number of units whose cumulative strength value is equal to or greater than the region's defensive value. Each unit card's strength value is equal to the number printed on the corresponding face-up unit-type chit(s) above the column. Additionally, you may only assemble cards whose unit-types are capable of invading the target region. Below the geographic label of each region card is printed the icons of the select unit types that may be assembled against that region.

The cards you ultimately assemble for the invasion are called your invasionary force. The invasionary force can be made up of any composition and any number of eligible unit types whose sum strength value meet or exceed the target's defensive value.

Your invasionary force represents the "front line" troops committed to the invasion. Remember to pull all cards that make up the invasionary force out of the reserve columns, and hold these cards in your hand or otherwise lay them apart from your reserve columns while you resolve the invasion.

Resolve the Invasion. Once you have selected an eligible region to invade and have committed a sufficient invasionary force, you roll both dice to resolve the invasion. This roll is called the casualty roll. Cross-reference the sum of the dice values on the following table to determine the results of the invasion (further explanation follows):

Casualty Roll	Result
12	retain up to 3 units
11	retain up to 2 units
9-10	retain 1 unit
6-7-8	lose invasionary force only
4-5	lose 1 additional eligible unit OR retreat*
3	lose 2 additional eligible units OR retreat*
2	lose 3 additional eligible units AND retreat**

* if unable to satisfy additional losses, then lose entire invasionary force, satisfy as many losses as possible, and then retreat. ** must retreat, even if all 3 additional losses can be satisfied.

Retain means that you may return up to that many unit cards from the invasionary force back into your reserve columns. You choose which units these will be. Retained units have survived the invasion and may be used on a subsequent invasion, even on the same turn. The rest of your invasionary force is discarded, but the invasion is a success. You may capture (remove) the region card from the enemy nation and possibly increase your personnel strength (see Personnel Strength). Most captured regions are discarded, face up, on top of the regions discard pile.

On a 6, 7, or 8, you need only discard the committed invasionary force you assembled - no more, no less - and the invasion is still considered a success. You may capture (remove) the region card and possibly increase your personnel strength (see Personnel Strength).

On a 3, 4, or 5, although the invasion is still considered a success, it comes at a higher cost than anticipated. When required to lose one or more additional units, you must not only discard the entire invasionary force, but you must also discard, from your reserve columns, a number of additional unit cards (regardless of individual strength values) to satisfy these additional losses. For the most part, you may choose which unit-types you wish to discard, but additional losses must also be of a type eligible to attack the target region based on its geography. You may not discard ineligible unit-types to satisfy additional losses. If you can satisfy the additional losses from your reserves, capture (remove) the region card and possibly increase your personnel strength (see Personnel Strength).

On a 3, 4, or 5, if you are unable to satisfy the additional losses, you must discard as many eligible cards as you are able towards the requirement, and then you must retreat by taking the top card of the region discard pile and laying it on one corner of the card you were attempting to invade, thereby obscuring its exposure. If both corners of the target card are currently exposed, you may choose which corner to cover in the retreat.

On a 2, you must retreat, and you must satisfy the additional 3 losses or come as close as you possibly can to doing so. After any retreat, your turn immediately ends, and you move to step 4 of the play sequence: checking enemy research. After a retreat, you may not attempt a bombing raid (see Heavy Bombers).

A retreat is never required from a loss at the bottom row of the enemy nation.

Check Enemy Research

After you have resolved all the invasions you are willing or able to make for the current turn, you must make an enemy research check. First determine whether the enemy has suffered a "setback" this turn (see Capturing Installations, Espionage, Heavy Bombers, and Ultimate Weapon). If so, simply flip the enemy progress chit to its gray side face up, and proceed to the next and final step: resolve end-of-turn actions.

If the enemy has not suffered a setback this turn, then determine the current enemy research level. This is the number in the flask icon on the enemy-technology chit next to which the enemy progress chit is currently positioned. The first and lowest enemy research level is 3.

Once the enemy research level is determined, roll one die. If the thrown result is greater than the current enemy research level, nothing happens, and you may proceed to end-of-turn actions. If the thrown result is equal to or less than the current enemy research level, then the enemy has made progress in his efforts to develop his ultimate weapon. Move the enemy progress chit up one increment to next to the next highest enemy-technology chit. Then you may proceed with end-of-turn actions.

If the enemy technology chit is at the highest position on the scale (chit "H") when a successful enemy research check is made - theoretically driving the chit beyond the highest position on the scale - then the enemy has successfully completed and launched his ultimate weapon.

If the enemy completes his ultimate weapon before you capture the enemy capital, the game is over, and you have lost.

Resolve End-of-Turn Actions

In Limited War, the only end-of-turn action with which you need be concerned is to reset your personnel unit-type chit to strength value 1, if it isn't already so (see Personnel Strength).

Capturing Installations

There are two types of installations that may be captured: the five resource centers, and the one enemy capital. You do not have to capture all five resource centers to win the game, but it is likely that you will, and it is beneficial to do so.

When you capture a resource center, do two things:

1. First, check if the enemy research level is 4 or higher. If so, immediately move the enemy research chit down one increment to the next lower enemy-technology chit, and flip it over to the red side with the flame, indicating an enemy setback. This represents the loss of information and materials the enemy suffers as a result of having lost the resource center. The enemy cannot suffer setbacks from any cause while at technology level 3.
2. Second, you get to choose one upgrade, effective immediately (see Upgrades). Furthermore, having captured the resource center, you will hereafter be entitled to more cards during the draw phase at the beginning of subsequent turns. Captured resource centers should be kept in your reserve area so as to remind you of the additional draw(s) you can now make at the beginning of subsequent turns.

If you capture the enemy capital, the game is over, and you have won.

Personnel Strength

Personnel units do not increase in strength through upgrading (see Upgrades), as do other unit-types. Instead, after a successful invasion, personnel strength is temporarily increased +1, representing a combination of morale and intelligence gained from the invasion. Rotate the personnel unit-type chit so that the next-highest value is at the top. Personnel strength is increased in this way, cumulatively, for each successful invasion conducted on the same turn, to a maximum of 4.

Upgrades

Each time you capture a resource center, you are immediately entitled to one upgrade. For each of the first four resource centers you capture, you may upgrade one unit type of your choice. Simply flip the unit-type chit over to its upgraded face. This side indicates the now increased strength value of each unit in that reserve column (except for personnel), as well as a new tactical option that is thereafter available to you for the remainder of the game. Each unit type offers a different tactical option as part of its upgrade, all of which are described below.

Scouts (personnel upgrade). After upgrading your personnel, you are eligible for one scout action, which allows you to exchange any sufficiently exposed region of the enemy nation with whatever happens to be on the top of the region discard pile. There are two exceptions to this: (1) you may not use a sea region as a replacement. (2) you may not replace the enemy capital at all. Once you have taken a scout action, flip the personnel chit back to its starting side. You may not conduct a second scout action in the game.

Light craft (vehicles upgrade). Any vehicles card in your vehicles reserve column may be treated at its face value (a strength 5 vehicles card), or as a strength 1 aircraft or strength 1 ships card. In this way, the vehicles cards can sometimes serve as part of an invasionary force or to satisfy additional losses when aircraft or ships would normally be required.

Convoys (ships upgrade). At the start of the turn, before you would normally draw cards from the production deck, you may voluntarily discard a single ships cards (if you have one) from your ships reserve column in exchange for one free card from the production deck. You may only make 1 convoy exchange per turn, even if the convoy draw ends up being another ships card.

Heavy bombers (aircraft upgrade). After resolving invasions, but before making the enemy research check at the end of the turn, you may voluntarily discard one or more aircraft cards (if you have any) from your aircraft reserve column (not a "light aircraft" from your vehicles reserve column) in an attempt to cause a setback for the enemy. After committing to the number of aircraft cards you wish to discard, roll one die. If the result is less than or equal to the number of aircraft cards you committed to the bombing raid, the enemy suffers a setback, just as when a resource center is captured. If the result is greater than the number of aircraft cards you committed to the bombing raid, the raid was a failure, and the enemy will receive his research check as normal. You may only conduct one such bombing raid per turn.

Ultimate weapon. Should you capture all five resource centers, then upon the fifth capture, you have achieved the ultimate weapon upgrade for your own nation. You are now eligible to add ultimate weapons cards to your reserve area when you draw them; you are no longer required to discard them.

An ultimate weapon card is playable during invasions and can perform one of two functions:

1. Remove a target region from the enemy nation without conducting an invasion. Simply select an eligible region and remove it from play. An ultimate weapon card may be used to remove any sufficiently exposed region card at any row of the enemy nation, regardless of defensive level, except a sea region and the enemy capital. Personnel do not gain the temporary strength increase for successful invasions when you use an ultimate weapon.
2. Cause a setback, just as when a resource center is captured.

You may keep an ultimate weapon in your reserve area for as long as you like, until you are ready to use it. Once you use an ultimate weapon, you must also remove the ultimate weapon card from play; it is not returned to the discard or draw pile.

Game End

If the enemy completes his ultimate weapon before you capture the enemy capital, the game is over, and you have lost. If you capture the enemy capital, the game is over, and you have won.

Up to this point, you have read everything you need to know in order to play the basic game (Limited War). What follows hereafter are the additions and/or changes to the rules if you wish to play the more complex "Total War."

TOTAL WAR

Set-Up for Total War

Set up for Total War is the same as for Limited War, with the addition of commander cards, the season tile, and the prison camp chits. Refer to the set-up diagram on the first page. Restore the commander cards and ensure that they are shuffled with the entire production deck. Lay the season tile (11) out, and choose the starting season by either placing a small token on your choice, or by orienting the tile so that your chosen season is at the top.

Finally, you must place the three prison camp (12) chits within the enemy nation. For each prison camp, roll both dice, electing beforehand which colored die you will read first. Read the result as an ordered pair of numbers, then consult the diagram and place the prison camp chit on the corresponding region card. You must re-roll any results that designate the position of a "sea" card. Once the season tile and prison camp chits are placed, the Total War game is ready to play.

Season Tile/End-of-Turn

In Total War, after resetting your personnel strength (if needed), you must advance the status of the season track. The current season always gives way to the season that is next on the wheel, reading clockwise. You may find it helpful to use a marker or a small token of some sort as a pawn to move about the track (moving the pawn clockwise), or you may simply rotate the season track tile so that the new season is oriented at the top (in which case you would do so counter-clockwise.) The next turn begins with the new season and the first step of the turn sequence: drawing from your production deck.

Commanders

Commander cards are "wild" units. They can be added to any column you choose during the draw phase at the start of the turn, and they will forever after act as a card of that type. Once designated, a commander may not be moved to another column. Commander cards in the personnel column may be used as "spies" (see Espionage). Commander cards that are retained after an invasion must be returned to the column from which they originally came.

Espionage

Once per turn, during the invasion phase, you may attempt to cause the enemy to suffer a setback, if eligible, by discarding a commander card from your personnel column and rolling one die. If you roll less than or equal to your current personnel strength value, the enemy suffers a setback, just as when a resource center is captured. If the result is greater than the current personnel strength value, the espionage attempt was a failure, and the enemy will receive his research check as normal.

Modifications to Invasion Resolution in Total War

• An invasionary force cannot be comprised exclusively of aircraft. Any aircraft cards in an invasionary force must be accompanied by at least one other eligible unit type.
• The defensive value of a given region is further adjusted by the value printed in the current position of the season track.
• Exposure: In the upper-right hand corner of all region cards is a small designation of either one or two stars. This code indicates how many of the bottom corners of that card must be exposed (uncovered by other cards) in order for you to attempt an invasion of that region. If there is only one star in the exposure code, it does not matter which of the two bottom corners is exposed for that region to be invaded.
• After a retreat, you are not permitted an espionage attempt.
• Barren Wastelands: Invasions attempted against barren wastelands are more difficult: you must consult the casualty roll results table at two increments lower than what you naturally rolled. Furthermore, while aircraft may comprise part of the invasionary force against a barren region, any additional losses you are required to satisfy from your reserve columns may not be satisfied by aircraft.

Garrisons

In Total War, in order to capture an installation (whether a resource center or the enemy capital), you must satisfy a garrison requirement. After a successful invasion, you must discard one additional personnel card from your personnel reserve column for the order of this installation's capture (one for the first, two for the second, three for the third, and so on). This discard represents the garrison of soldiers tasked with occupying the installation, and it is separate from any additional losses you may have already satisfied as a result of the casualty roll. If you do not or cannot satisfy the garrison requirement, you may not capture the installation, even if all other victory conditions of the invasion were met. However, you may opt to "scorch the earth" (described below).

Scorched Earth

After a successful invasion of a resource center, if you are able to satisfy any and all additional losses incurred, but you are either not able or not willing to satisfy the garrison requirement, instead of accepting a total loss, you may opt to scorch the earth. If you choose this tactic, then the resource center is removed from the enemy nation, and taken out of play completely. The enemy still suffers a setback, if eligible, but you will neither receive an upgrade nor the hand management bonus during the draw phase of subsequent turns. You may not scorch the earth when attempting to capture the enemy capital. Furthermore, if you scorch any regions at all, you will be unable to achieve the ultimate weapon upgrade.

Prison Camps

In addition to the temporary increase to strength from successful invasions, personnel units may also gain permanent strength increases by liberating prison camps within the enemy nation. Any successful invasion of a region marked with a prison camp chit liberates that camp. Remove the prison camp chit from the enemy nation and flip it to its "liberated" +1 side, then place it next to the unit-type chit above the personnel column. This represents a permanent morale and intelligence increase.

Within the same turn, both permanent and temporary increases to personnel strength are combined when conducting subsequent invasions or espionage attempts. After any unsuccessful invasion, or when you elect to end your turn, temporary increases to personnel strength are removed, but those gained from liberated prison camps are not.

Any region marked with a prison camp may be removed as a result of a scout action, scorched earth, or the use of an ultimate weapon. In any of these cases, the prison camp chit is removed from play, and you may not liberate it later.

A prison camp that happens to be placed on the enemy capital during initial set-up cannot be liberated short of winning the game.

Scoring (optional)

Beyond the simple win/lose, all-or-nothing approach, you may wish to keep a running score as you play, so that you can enjoy the benefits of a relative victory or defeat, as well as to give you an additional goal to strive for in your subsequent games. If you wish to keep score while you play, then award victory points to yourself according to the following schedule:

Points	For
1 point	each captured valley, mountains, or sea
2 points	each captured wasteland or installation
2 points	each liberated prison camp
3 points	each unused ultimate weapon in reserve
x points	clearing an entire defensive row (x = number of regions originally in that row)
x points	total strength of all units in reserve
- x points	where x = enemy tech level

Adjusting Difficulty (optional)

The difficulty of the game may be increased or decreased very readily through any combination of the following optional rules:

• (a) (More difficulty) Start the game with the enemy-research stone/token set at a higher enemy-technology chit.
• (b) (More difficulty) Eliminate one or more of the possible tactical options that come with upgrades. (You will not want to eliminate the upgrade altogether, as it will become mathematically impossible for weaker units to muster enough strength to invade the deeper defensive levels.) In concert with this, consider delaying the introduction of the remaining tactical option(s) to the capture of later resource center(s).
• (c) (More/less difficulty) During set-up, before dealing the 36 enemy nation cards to the table, you may wish to cut this deck in half, re-inserting the resource cards into only one of the two halves, such that all the resource centers are guaranteed to appear in either the top half of the pyramid (more difficulty) or in the bottom half of the pyramid (less difficulty).

Even one small change along these lines should result in noticeable changes to the difficulty of the game. Both can also be used in conjunction with the scoring system described above.