Valkyrie: A Black Orchestra Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setup
  • Solo Variant
• Sequence of Play
  • Reroll Tokens
  • Actions
  • Interrogations
• Items
• Allies
• Initiate a Plot
  • Difficulty Variant
  • Deputies
• Ending the Game

Contents

• 1 game board
• 4 conspirator boards
• 4 player pawns with plastic stands
• 27 interrogation cards
• 24 Ally tiles
• 30 item tiles
• 10 custom dice
• 10 file tokens
• 16 reroll tokens
• 3 enemy tokens with plastic stands
• 7 location tiles

Setup

1. Give each player a conspirator board and place the remaining boards back in the box.
2. Place the matching player pawns on the Bendlerblock location in Berlin.
3. Add reroll tokens to conspirator boards based on desired difficulty level: 1 token for Hard, 2 tokens for Standard, or 3 tokens for Easy. Add an additional token for each player if only playing with 1 or 2 players. Note also that the difficulty affects the length of the Gestapo Interrogation track. You may decide to play with more nuanced levels of difficulty by varying these two settings.
4. Place the 7 location tiles on their locations, A-side up.
5. Place the Hitler token on Berghof, the Himmler token on Wolfsschanze, and the Goebbels token on Wilhelmstrasse.
6. Shuffle the item tiles and place 6 facedown in each item (crate) space on the board.
7. Shuffle the Ally tiles and reveal the first 4, placing them in the recruitment area.
8. Shuffle the interrogation deck and place it by its slot.
9. Set the dice and file tokens near the board.

The most courageous player will begin the game.

Solo Variant

Valkyrie can be played solo, with one person controlling 2 player boards. Otherwise all rules stay the same.

Sequence of Play

The game consists of each player taking turns until the game ends. On your turn, you will complete two steps:

1. Resolve an interrogation if there is at least one enemy (Hitler, Himmler, and/or Goebbels) in your location; and...
2. Roll 3 dice. You may keep the results or spend a reroll token. If you do, you must roll all 3 dice again.

Each die may indicate one of three results (to be resolved in this order):

1. Eagle (interrogation icon) - For each eagle rolled, draw and resolve an interrogation card (see below).
2. Target - Add each target rolled to the recruitment track. If there are ever 3 dice, remove them and place one of the available Ally tiles in any open Ally space on the board. Any additional targets rolled may then be placed on the track. Instead of placing a target die on the track, you may switch it to the arrow side.
3. Arrow (action) - Take 1 action for each arrow rolled. The actions are detailed below.

Once your dice have been resolved, the next player (to the left) will take a turn.

Reroll Tokens

These tokens may be used only during the action roll; they may not be used to reroll an interrogation roll or during a plot. All dice must be rerolled, and the new results replace the previous roll. This can be done multiple times, but beware of spending reroll tokens too quickly, as they are rarely replaced. However, don't hoard your tokens without using them, as some consequences of interrogation cards can cause you to lose them anyway.

Actions

These actions may be taken in any order and may be taken multiple times, one per arrow rolled.

MOVE 1 space - Move your pawn to an adjacent location (connected by white lines). Locations in Berlin are all considered to be adjacent to each other and to any location connected to Berlin.

SEARCH through item stack - You may pick up the stack of item tiles in your location and look through them. Your co-conspirators may also see them. Shuffle them and place them back on their space.

COLLECT a random item tile - take a random item from the stack and add it to your conspirator board. If all your slots are filled, you must discard an item. You may choose to discard the item you just drew.

SHARE an item - you may give or take a single item tile to or from a co-conspirator in your location.

UTILIZE an ally - Use the action of an Ally tile in your location. Any Ally who can be used in this way will have an arrow icon.

INITIATE a plot - See below for how to carry out a plot against Hitler.

Interrogations

Each time you begin your turn in the same location as an enemy, and for each eagle you roll as part of your final roll, you will resolve an interrogation card.

Draw the top card from the deck and read it silently. You must choose one of the 3 options on the card without help from any other conspirators. Option C allows you to try to avoid any ill effects by rolling a die, but you will risk having to resolve both option A and B. Note: If option A or B would result in no action, you may not choose it. However, you may always choose option C.

Once you resolve the interrogation, you must also resolve the event at the bottom of the card. This may change the state of the board in some way. Once you have done this, discard the card.

If you must draw an interrogation card, but cannot because the deck is empty, the conspirators immediately lose.

Many options will require you to add a file token to the Gestapo Investigation track. Place the tokens from left to right. Once a file token is placed below a lock, that file and all file tokens to the left may not be removed. The game ends in loss if you have 9 file tokens on Easy difficulty, 6 on Standard, or 3 on Hard.

Placing the third file token prevents any of the first 3 tokens from being removed.

If a venue token is removed from the game, conspirators and enemies may still move there and perform most actions as normal, but plots may no longer be attempted there.

Items

Finding items in the game will be crucial to success. Each location requires the matching item to carry out the plot there. Items with a target icon can be used during a plot. Explosives must each have a detonator under them. A detonator does not take up an item slot if it is under an explosive and the pair counts as one item. Putting these items together does not take an action.

To initiate a plot in Smolensk, you need to have the Signature.

Items used during a plot must be discarded (removed from the game). Items with a lightning bolt icon can be used once, and do not count as an action. These may be used at any time, then discarded. Their effects are described on the tile.

Allies

Recruiting Allies will also be critical. Each Ally tile represents a person won to your cause and provides a new, more powerful action. Their effects are described on the tiles.

• Allies with an arrow icon may be used for 1 action at their location.
• Allies without an icon give a static effect, but only apply to their location.
• Allies with a target icon can be used during any plot, regardless of location.

Allies in the location of a failed plot must be removed from the game, but other Allies used do not have to be discarded after a failed plot.

• New Allies can replace old ones. Old ones are discarded if so.

Initiate a Plot

To carry out a plot (at the cost of 1 action), follow the steps below.

1. Be in the target location with Hitler and the required access item.
2. Discard the access item and any other items you will use in this plot. Set aside the dice you will use, indicated on the items or Allies by a die icon. No dice are available by default, you must build your pool with items and Allies. Usually at least one explosive item paired with a detonator item will be used. However, a plot can occasionally be done without these items. Multiples may also be used - there is no limit on the number of items used in a plot, but all such items must be discarded. Allies are not discarded unless the plot fails in their location.
3. Save the total number of targets rolled. You may not use reroll tokens on plots. Target icons on items or Allies do not add to your total.
4. Roll one die each for Himmler and Goebbels, unless neutralized by an Ally. Subtract 1 target from your previous total for each target AND eagle icon rolled.

If the total targets remaining is equal to or greater than the quantity shown on the location, that is a success - You win the game!

If you do not meet the required total, that plot ends in failure - Remove all ally tiles at this location, add file tokens to the Gestapo Investigation track until the next locked space is filled, and immediately draw and resolve an interrogation card. (If the Gestapo Investigation track fills to the current difficulty level, or there are no interrogation cards left to draw, you lose the game.)

Difficulty Variant

Experienced players may add difficulty by removing 1 target for each eagle result in this initial roll. Decide before starting to play.

Deputies

Hitler's deputies may be neutralized by specific Allies, but those Allies will not act until a plot is attempted. Before that point, the deputies will still move around the board as normal. After the plot attempt, if neutralized, they will remain out of play for the rest of the game.

Ending the Game

The game ends in success if you manage to carry out a successful plot, rolling at least the required number of targets during your attempt (the requirement is different based on location and which side is active).

You lose the game if you are required to place a file token on the last space of the Gestapo Investigation track (according to difficulty) or if you are required to draw an interrogation card but cannot because the deck is empty.