Trenchzone Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• The Game Board Sectors and Zones
• Setup
• Forces
  • Starting Forces
• Command Cards
• Turn Summary
• Game Turn
  • Initiative
  • Artillery Bombardment
  • Gas
• Activate a Card
• Pillbox and MG Fire
  • Pillbox / MG Fire to Hit
• MG's Position
• Move
• Artillery Positions
• Melee Combat
  • Dice Rolls
• Wire
• Reinforcements
• Playing a Card
• Eliminated Squads
• Victory
  • Victory Chart Points

Components

• 1 Trenchzone Board
• 1 Rules
• 1 Rules Reference Card with Victory Tracker
• 90 Command Cards
• 6 Dice
• Commander A: 10 x 10 squads, 20 x 5 squads, 20 x 1 squads
• Commander B: 10 x 10 squads, 20 x 5 squads, 20 x 1 squads
• 6 Artillery Positions
• 12 Pillboxes
• 6 MG Positions
• 10 Wire sections
• 1 Mud token
• 4 Gas tokens
• 1 Victory token

The Game Board Sectors and Zones

The board is split into different zones and sectors. Each commander has 3 Trenchzone sectors. There are also No Mans Land zones dividing each sector. Each zone can hold any number of squads.

The sector diagram in the rulebook labels each sector from left to right as: Card placement Zone, Trenchzone, Wire Zone, No Mans Land, Wire Zone, Trenchzone, Card placement Zone.

Setup

Both commanders will place at the start of the game 100 worth's of squads, 3 Artillery Positions and 6 Pillboxes between any of his 3 Trenchzones. The 3 wire sections can be placed in any of the no mans land wire zones in any sector on his side of the board. All remaining squads are for possible reinforcements later in the game.

You can hide the setup at the start of the game. (Place behind rule book or box to hide setup.)

Draw a hand of four cards and then before the start of the game you may place up to one card behind each Trenchzone. You may then refill your hand to four cards.

The commanders are now ready to start the game.

Example for setup: All 3 wire sections could be placed in a single wire zone! Or you could have all your pillboxes in one trenchzone!

Forces

Both commanders start with 100 strengths worth of squads, 3 Artillery Positions and 6 Pillboxes each. These are placed anywhere within their Trenchzones. Both commanders also have to place 3 wire sections anywhere in their No Mans Land on the marked wire zones.

Each commander begins with 1 Gas that can be used in any one of his Artillery bombardment phases. Finally every turn 3 dice worth of Off Board Artillery are used.

Both commanders have a starting hand of four cards (one will be used for the initiative) and both have 3 dice.

Starting Forces

The starting forces panel of the rulebook lists: 100's worth of Squads; 3 x Artillery Positions; 3 x Pillbox; 1 x Gas; 3 x Wire Sections.

Source note: the starting forces panel prints "3 x Pillbox" while the Forces text above it says 6 Pillboxes each; both are transcribed as printed.

Command Cards

Command cards are placed in a chosen sector to be used later at a commanders discretion.

Each Trenchzone sector can hold a maximum of 3 command cards.

Command cards are played 1 card per sector per turn into a Trenchzone sector of your choice in the 'play card action'.

The maximum number of cards that you can have in your hand at any time is four.

The cards can only be used in the sector of the board they reside within.

Certain cards can be played from your hand.

All cards can be played from a sector. (Ideal for using cards as decoys.)

Command cards can be discarded at anytime.

Rulebook examples: "Play 1 card per sector per turn", "Max of 3 Cards per Sector", "Hand of 4 Cards".

Turn Summary

Turn:

• Initiative
  • Reveal Cards (Highest card takes actions first then the lowest repeats)
• Actions
  • Artillery Bombardment / Gas - Remove casualties
  • Activate cards on board
  • MG, Pillbox Fire / Move / Melee combat - Remove casualties
  • Play only one card per sector per turn / discard
  • Refill your hand
• Victory? / move to next round

Game Turn

Initiative

Each turn an initiative card is revealed. Both commanders select one of their held cards as their initiative card. When revealed whoever has the highest number is the winner of the initiative and goes first for this turn.

Example: Commander A selects Sappers with initiative 52 and Commander B selects Low Ammo with initiative 21. Commander A wins initiative and goes first for the turn.

Rulebook example captions: "Initiative number. Highest wins".

Artillery Bombardment

In the artillery bombardment phase your Off Board Artillery must select a single target type from an Artillery Positions, Pill Boxes, Infantry squads or MG Positions. You must select your target before rolling the dice.

A commander rolls 3 dice on the table below. These 3 dice rolls can be allocated to any sector and any one target type. (These dice represent your Off Board Artillery raining down into one location that has been called in.)

You also have 1 dice roll per Artillery Position on the board. (A commanders local support.)

An Artillery Positions can only hit targets in their own sector.

Roll on the table:

Target	Artillery to Hit
Artillery Position	6
Pill Box	5,6
MG Position	4,5,6
Infantry (Kills 5 squads)	4,5,6
Infantry in open (Kills 5 squads)	3,4,5,6
Wire	N/A

Example: 3 Off Board Artillery dice are rolled at a targeted Artillery Position. The commander requires only one 6 on any of the 3 dice rolled. He rolls a 3,1,4 and so misses his target. For this turn.

Gas

Gas covers 1 zone.

Gas remains in a zone for 3 turns.

Roll 3 D6 to find the amount of squads that are eliminated by the gas in the first turn. Roll 2 d6 in the second turn and 1 in the third turn.

MG Position, Squads in Artillery Positions and Pillboxes are immune to gas.

To record which turn you are in and the number of dice to use place a spare gas cloud on the Reference card gas tracker at the side of the board.

Example: Commander A uses his gas in a sector. He selects a sector that he sees a build up of squads which he feels is a threat. He places the gas on the zone and rolls 3 dice in turn one.

• Turn 1: commander A rolls 3d6 - 5, 2, 1 = 8 kills
• Turn 2: commander A rolls 2d6 - 1, 5 = 6 kills
• Turn 3: commander A rolls 1d6 = 1 = 1 kill

Commander B now only has 5 squads in this zone.

Activate a Card

If a commander has a card in any of his sectors he may active it in this part of the turn. The commander can turn over any number of command cards and activate them or he can leave them face down to use when required later in the game.

Each card will provide the commander with information about what the card will do when it is used.

Example: Commander A is activating a card he played in the previous round in his middle sector. The card provides commander A with 10 reinforcements that he will add to his middle Trenchzone.

Rulebook example card text: "Reinforcements: 10 Squads arrive in your sector. Play into a sector."

Pillbox and MG Fire

Squads can not fire, they are only cannon fodder.

Manned Pillboxes or MG positions are the only way you can fire.

To fire a commander rolls 3 dice per manned Pillbox or MG Position that they may have. Any hit scored causes double casualties.

You can not fire through your own men who are in a No Mans Land zone in front of a position. When any casualties are caused they are applied to the front most squads first and then continue to squads that are further behind.

Squads within Pillboxes or Artillery Positions are immune to Pillbox and MG fire.

A Pillbox requires 5 squads to operate.

Any squads that are not within an Artillery Positions or Pillbox are cannon fodder and are targets for Artillery bombardments, Pillboxes and MG's. These poor soles are only waiting for the order to go over the top.

Pillbox / MG Fire to Hit

(Double damage)

• Squads in trenches < 5: No Effect
• Squads in trenches 6: Eliminated
• Squads in No Mans Land < 2: No Effect
• Squads in No Mans Land 3, 4, 5, 6: Eliminated

Example: To hit a target in a Trenchzone a commander requires a 6 on a D6. Commander A rolls 3 dice for his single manned pillbox and rolls a 6, 3, 3 = 1 hit x2 = 2 Casualties (Squads).

Rulebook diagram key: "X casualty replacements" (the red X markers on the example diagram).

MG's Position

MG's are placed onto the board via a card. MG Positions fire using 3 extra dice in the firing phase. MG's provide double damage when firing.

Example: To hit a target in a Trenchzone a commander requires a 6 on a D6. Commander A rolls 3 dice for his single MG Position and rolls a 6, 3, 3 = 1 hit x2 = 2 Casualties (Squads).

Move

Squads move a single zone at a time in any direction except diagonally when using the 'Advance' card.

(You can also use this card to move to a trenchzone next to your present position.) The Charge and Over the top move squads 2 and 3 zones.

Once a squad has left its Trenchzone it will continue to move across No Mans Land 1 zone per turn until it reaches the other commanders trenches.

Artillery Positions

An Artillery Positions can only be destroyed using an Artillery Bombardment result.

Artillery Positions provide up to 5 squads with cover and these squads are immune to Pillbox and MG fire results. They also protect squads from Gas.

Place your squads under the Artillery Positions piece to show it is occupied.

Each Artillery Positions supplies the defender with One extra dice in the Artillery Bombardment action.

If the Artillery Position is unoccupied it can not fire in the Artillery Bombardment action.

An Artillery Position requires 5 squads to operate.

If an Artillery Positions is destroyed any squads within the Artillery Positions are left in the Trenchzone and are then targets for Pillbox / MG fire, Gas or Bombardment rolls.

Melee Combat

If squads from either commander find themselves in the same zone as their opponents squads, then melee combat will commence.

Each commander will roll a dice simultaneously along with any Modifier dice from their sector command cards. (Example: Grenades add 1 dice.)

Any modifying cards are only used in the first round of melee combat.

Each number scored on a dice is equal to the number of squads eliminated.

Once a side is reduced to zero squads the melee combat is over.

If this happens in a Trenchzone and the defender wins, then the game continues; but if the attacker wins the game is over and the trenches have been over run and victory is his.

(Melee can take place in No Mans Land.)

Dice Rolls

Both sides = 1x D6, plus:

• +1 Dice per modifier card (first round only)
• +1 Defending trench
• +1 Most squads

Example: Commander A has 30 squads and Commander B has 40 squads.

• Commander B rolls 1 Dice + 1 for Trenches = 2 Dice.
• Commander A rolls 1 Dice + 1 for Most Squads + 1 for a Modifier card = 3 Dice.

Both roll: Commander B rolls 6, 4 = 10 Squads Killed. Commander A rolls 4, 5, 1 = 8 Squads Killed.

Source note: as printed, the example awards the "+1 Most squads" bonus to Commander A although the example states Commander A has 30 squads and Commander B has 40. The text is transcribed as printed.

Rulebook example card: Grenades, "+1 in Melee Combat, First round only." The example caption reads "Discard modifying" cards.

Wire

Wire is placed in the wire zones of No Mans Land. Wire can only be placed on zones that contain no squads.

Each wire section causes 1 dice worth of casualties to the squads entering a zone containing wire that turn.

Wire can only be added and removed by 'Engineers'.

Example: 10 squads enter a zone containing 2 wire section. 2 d6 are rolled by the commander entering the zone and a roll of 4, 1 are scored. 5 casualties are removed by the wire sections. (The squads are hung up and mowed down on the wire and eliminated by gun fire. Wire is unforgiving to both sides.)

Reinforcements

Reinforcements will enter at your chosen location by placing a reinforcement card behind a Trenchzone sector.

Rulebook example card: Reinforcements, "10 Squads arrive in your sector. Play into a sector."

Playing a Card

Each commander has a hand of 4 cards. One card will be played in the initiative phase. The commander who reveals the highest numbered card becomes the first commander for this game turn. (Better cards have higher initiative numbers.)

A Trenchzone sector can hold up to three cards. You can place one card per sector per turn.

Each card have its own instructions showing its ability and details any specific instructions.

Cards are kept behind one of a commanders three sectors.

Commanders do not have to play a card.

You can also choose to discard cards.

Once cards have been played or discarded a commander refills his hand to 4 cards in the refill hand action part of his turn.

If the deck runs out reshuffle the cards and continue playing.

Any 1 of the cards you hold can be played in your turn or used to cancel an effect from your opponent.

Rulebook example cards shown on this page:

• Grenades (card number 43): "+1 in Melee Combat, First round only." Playing a sector, Reveal / Use in Melee.
• Dud shells (card number 23): the card's text is too small to read reliably in the scan; the legible fragments are "Ignore 1 Bombardment" and "Play from Hand or Sector." The remaining text is not transcribed.
• Gas (card number 64): "Place in any zone. Remains for 3 turns." Play into a sector. The dice-per-turn lines on the card are small in the scan and follow the Gas section above.

Eliminated Squads

Any eliminated squads are removed from the battle and added to your reserves pile.

Victory

Victory is achieved if one commander can break though the other commanders trenches in any one sector or by gaining victory via morale on the Victory chart.

The first way to achieve victory is by having any number of your squads enter an opponents Trenchzone and eliminate all defending squads from that Trenchzone.

The second option is by demoralizing the opponent by achieving more victory points on the victory chart and forcing an end to hostilities.

Every time you achieve victory points, push the victory counter closer to your opponents end victory space. If the victory token reaches the final victory space the game ends immediately and your opponent surrenders. Victory is yours.

The victory counter will move back and forth as points are obtained by either side. This gives you the feeling of the push and pull of battle and the effects of morale on the poor troops in the trenches as they see the world around them destroyed.

Victory Chart Points

• Destroy an Artillery Positions (Not Pillbox) = 1
• Completely empty an opponents Trenchzone = 1
• Eliminate all opponents squads advancing in No Mans Land before they reach your Trenchzone = 2
• Enter an opponents Trenchzone in melee combat = 2
• Conquer 1 of your opponents Trenchzone = Victory