Warfare: Modern Tactical Combat Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components List
Main Components
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Components List

20 double-sided map tiles
144 unit counters
88 20 mm markers
1 Action Track
7 multicolor Activation cubes
30 red cubes
1 ASCS dice set
1 8-sided die (1d8)
1 20-sided die (1d20)
1 Dice Console
1 multipage player aid sheet
1 multipage solo aid sheet
1 Rulebook

Main Components

Before playing Warfare, you must set up the game and mount some components.

Map & Tiles

Each scenario has its own map. A map is made up of several tiles put together, as indicated by the chosen scenario's setup section. This means that the tiles' number, orientation, and combination vary in each scenario.

A map is a rough representation of the actual area and terrain where the operations simulated by a scenario have taken place. Such a modular system of tiles is very flexible and enables you also to create your own scenarios with the Scenario generator included in this book.

Tiles feature a hex grid to regulate movement and combat. A hex represents approximately 50 m (170 ft.).

Units

Units are counters mounted straight on a standee (see unit's deployment below). They can represent small teams of infantry soldiers (infantry units), one or more vehicles (vehicle units), or one or more helicopters (helicopter units), each with different weapons and abilities.

They have a front and a backside. The front side shows the image of a soldier, vehicle, or helicopter belonging to that kind of unit. Instead, the backside shows symbols and values used in the game to identify the unit and have it perform various actions. Refer to Chapter 1 to check out the meaning of each symbol and value.

Units' factions feature an accent color on the front and the backside of their counters or markers: Blue for Western countries, Red/Orange for Eastern Countries (Russia included), and Green for Insurgents.

Any unit that is not an Insurgent unit is broadly called Regular unit in this rulebook.

Units' Deployment

To deploy a unit, punch out its counter from the die-cut sheet, insert it into one of the plastic standees provided (infantry and helicopter units vertically, while vehicle units horizontally), and put it on the map.

Each scenario specifies the number and type of units and where to deploy them on the map.

Units must be placed on the map and moved so as to show the front only to the opponent. The back must always face the owner (except for combat, where players can show the values of involved units if requested by the opponent).

Markers

Markers are squared and smaller than unit counters. At the beginning of a game, they must be deployed on the map, on the Action Track, or only available for a given player, as shown in each specific scenario.

Some markers are placed on the map only when certain events occur (units take hits, become Suppressed, Shaken, etc.).

Action Track & Activation Cubes

Put the Action Track close to you and your opponent, as it is a fundamental piece of the game, and both players will need easy and fast access to it throughout the game. It is used to keep track of:

turns, using a white-colored cube called Turn Record Cube;
available supports, using diverse markers called Support Markers;
the Active and the Reactive player's position on the Action Track.

Each player picks an Activation Cube among six different colors: Blue or grey for Western Countries, red or orange for Eastern Countries, and green or yellow for Insurgents. These associations are not mandatory, although units' colors follow those associations.

Dice

A set of 9 multicolor dice is provided. It is the core of the Alea Struggle Combat System (ASCS) by WBS Games used in this game. Keep the dice in ascending order of shades, from white to black, as shown in the image below.

All modifiers to the dice refer to the die color and not its result. For example, a modifier of 1> would change a Red die basic roll to a Blue die roll. On the other hand, a modifier of <2 would change a Red die basic roll to a Green die roll.

ASCS dice can be used for two purposes:

Combat roll - to check the result of combat when Firing, Assaulting, or using Support Fire.
Test roll - to check whether a unit manages to perform special actions or triggers certain reactions such as mines or IED explosions, civilian conversions, etc.

Be it a Combat or a Test Roll, only one die must be rolled.

A 6-sided die is also provided for Artillery fire scattering.

Combat Roll

Refer to bigger icons only in the upper-right corner. Below are the possible results.

Combat Roll Results

Missed. No effect.
Shaken / Suppressed.
1 Hit.
2 Hits.
Kill.

Test Roll

On each dice, a small icon is printed on the lower-left corner; for testing purposes, you will only refer to these small icons. Below are all possible results.

Test Roll Results

Critical Failure.
Failure.
Minor Success.
Success.
Major Success.

Each test features its base die color; if required, apply any pertinent modifier and roll the resulting die.

Dice Console

Put the ASCS dice on the Dice Console before you start playing. The Dice Console is intended both as a convenient place to keep the dice and as an aid for players and a reference when you need to shift from one dice to another (due to combat maluses or bonuses, for example), but it has also been implemented to help color-blind people.

Setup Example

Whatever the chosen scenario, you must take some general steps to set up your game.

Lay the required map tiles down on a flat surface, as indicated by the scenario.
Opposing players should seat so that they face each other.
Assemble the required Unit counters on their plastic stands and place them on the map as indicated by the scenario.
Place on the map any other marker, if required by the scenario.
Players take their relevant Activation cube based on their faction's color and must place it on the Action Track in the box indicated by the scenario.
Set the Turn record cube on the T1 box of the Action Track.
Collect all relevant support markers from the game box and set them up as indicated by the scenario. If a scenario instructs that Support will be available on a given turn, put the relevant support marker in the corresponding box of the Turn track [T1, T2, etc.]. If the scenario briefing states the given Support is available from the beginning, it should be ready for the owner to use.
Put the ASCS dice on the Dice Console: each die must be put in the box of the matching color.
Keep any Damage and Morale marker handy for all players.

Chapter 1

In this chapter you will learn:

To move units (infantry and vehicles)
To deal with Civilians and Mobs
To place/remove roadblocks
To load, transport and unload units using vehicles

Units

Vertical counter units are either infantry teams or helicopter sections.

Horizontal counter units are land vehicle sections.

Units show several values on their backside.

Icons, Special Actions, and Special Abilities

Some actions can be carried out by any unit (Movement, Fire, Assault, Overwatch, etc.); others can be performed only by units having the appropriate Special action icon on their counter's backside. Special Action's icons are depicted inside a circle and are colored. The meaning of each icon can be found on the Test Chart. Special Actions' cost is always the same as the Small Arms activation value (see page 10).

Some units have a white icon within a pentagon shape, indicating they sport a Special Ability precluded to other units (e.g., transporting other units, performing airborne or amphibious operations, etc.). Each Special Ability will be covered later in this rulebook. Players spend a fixed cost of 1 AP to activate a Special Ability.

The Action Track

Each player starts with a certain amount of Action Points (APs). You keep track of your number of APs with your Activation cube on the Action Track. The Action Track consists of two sections: The actual Action Track (with dark boxes) and the Turn Record Track (with light grey boxes).

Action Points are spent to perform various actions such as moving, fighting (fire, opportunity fire, assault), rallying, and other actions (see Actions chart). For each AP point spent, the Activation cube of a player moves one space clockwise, following the arrows' direction.

The same unit can perform any number of actions in any order, provided the player activating it has a number of APs higher or equal to his opponent on the Action Track.

The player who has the most APs is the Active Player, while his opponent is the Reactive Player. This is evaluated after each action is performed. In case of a tie, the Active Player does not change.

The Active Player can spend his APs to perform any one action. Whoever is now the Active Player can perform one action, and so on.

As long as a player has more APs than his opponent, he can perform multiple actions in a row. The actions can be done with the same or different units, in any order.

The number of APs can never increase. Instead, its token, the Activation Cube (each player chooses one of a different color depending on the faction), moves from the higher to the lower numbers on the track until it goes back again to the 40 AP box. When all players' tokens have reached (or moved beyond) the 40 AP box on the Action Track, the turn ends, but only AFTER the last player's action has been thoroughly resolved.

When a turn ends, complete any ongoing actions and then perform the following steps in order:

Remove any Smoke counters (see page 15).
Remove any Shaken counters (see page 11).
Flip any Suppressed counters to their Shaken side (see page 11).
Move the Turn Record Cube one space clockwise on the Turn Record Track (see page 2).

At the beginning of a new Turn, each token keeps its position relative to the other; they must not necessarily start from the 40 APs box of the track.

Passing: A player can decide to pass, even if he has more APs than his opponent. To do this he must move his Activation Cube one space after the Activation Cube of his Opponent. This way, the latter becomes the Active player and will be able to perform actions.

Example of using the Action track. Turn 1 is almost over. Orange Player, the Active player, spends 4 APs and moves his Activation Cube from box 2 to box 38. The Blue Player is now the active player and spends 3 APs opening fire; he moves his Activation cube from box 1 to box 38. The blue player performs his combat action thoroughly, and then the turn ends. The end turn actions are performed in order, and the Turn Record Cube is finally moved from T1 to T2 to indicate game turn 2. Blue Player is still the active player but opts to pass: he moves his Activation Cube on the first available box after the one currently occupied by his opponent's Cube.

Movement (Action)

Movement is the action that enables a player to move his units on the map. It is the current Active player who usually carries out movement actions.

In order to move, he must choose one of his available units and move it one or more hexes in any allowed direction or combination of directions with the unit's front side facing opposing players, therefore keeping the backside of the unit and its values hidden from them.

For each movement, the player must spend the relevant number of AP, moving the Activation cube on the Action Track accordingly.

Entering a hex requires a cost in APs, depending on the terrain type and the unit entering it. The icon in the middle of the hex determines the terrain type:

No icon: CLEAR terrain (e.g., roads, open areas, etc.).
Dot: COVER terrain (e.g., buildings, woods, etc.).
Triangle: FORTIFICATIONS (e.g., outpost).
Diamond: HIGH GROUND (e.g., hills, dunes, etc.).
Waves: WATERS (e.g., rivers, ocean, etc.)

On the Terrain Chart, you can check the terrain type and AP cost required to enter it, depending on the moving unit.

When performing a movement, the Active player cannot spend more APs than those available before becoming a Reactive player. This means he can spend APs until his Activation cube occupies the box of the Action Track immediately after the next Activation cube.

You don't have to perform all movement actions of a unit before moving another one. You can, for example, move unit A, then unit B, and then again unit A, as long as you have the required number of APs.

The restriction of spending too many APs only applies to movement actions: The Active player can always perform ANY OTHER action, no matter how many APs he has. This will turn him into a reactive player once that action is done.

Stacking: Only one unit of any kind (including Helicopter units!) can occupy a hex. Moving through friendly units is allowed though, as long as such movement doesn't end in a hex already occupied by other units (friendly or not).

However, there's no limit to the number of markers that can occupy the same hex.

The only option to the stacking rule is when a vehicle is carrying a unit. In that case, mind putting any marker related to a unit under its base not to mix units' counters.

Designers' Note: Facing: Units have no facing in the game, the only reason why you should keep the backside facing you is to guarantee a Fog of War. Helicopters and stacking: The reason why helicopters cannot share a hex with land units is to avoid confusion related to LOS, stance, and targeting.

Example of movement. A USMC LAV is approaching the outskirts of a small Afghani village. The Blue player is the Active player. He can spend 1 AP to move his LAV through 2 clear hexes. At the end of the Movement, his Activation cube is in the same space as the Green player's. Thus, he is still the Active player. Now the Blue player has many options and 1 residual AP. Only movements requiring no more than 1 AP are viable, though.

Transport (Special Ability)

Transport is one of the Special Abilities available (pentagonal icon). As any other Special Ability, it can be activated by spending 1 AP. All vehicle units showing the transport icon can load up to one infantry unit or a Civilian marker (not helicopters or other vehicle units!). To do it, the infantry unit/civilian marker must be in a hex adjacent to the loading vehicle unit (Civilians can be in the same hex).

Once loaded, the infantry unit/civilian marker moves with the vehicle unit transporting it. Only the vehicle unit spends APs for moving, not the loaded infantry.

If the vehicle unit is eliminated, so is the loaded Infantry unit/Civilian marker. Only the transporting unit is affected in case of any other combat result.

The Transport Special Ability can also be activated at any moment to unload carried troops to a legal adjacent hex, spending 1 AP.

An unloaded unit can immediately perform actions, provided the Active player controlling it has enough APs.

Example of loading and unloading. A Marine unit is inserted into a small village using a LAV to minimize casualties. The Blue player has 5 APs available for movement. Using 1 AP, the Unit of Marines is loaded on the LAV, which spends 1 AP to move 2 hexes in clear terrain. Once at their destination, the Marines jump off the vehicle (spending 1 AP) to swiftly move 2 hexes in cover through the village alleys (spending 2 APs). The Blue Player could move in two hexes of clear terrain, but with the LAV's full movement hindered by the nearby Unit of Marines, a single hex was the only available option. Despite this, a single hex movement still required the LAV to spend 1 AP. Blue player is now the Reactive player.

Converting Mobs into Civilians (Action - Test)

Population markers feature a Mob side and a Civilians side. Mob represents a threatening crowd; Civilians a peaceful crowd.

Regular units can move through civilians but not through mob units. Insurgents can indifferently move through both.

To try converting a Mob into Civilians (and vice versa), a unit must be adjacent to a Mob marker on the map. Spend the same number of APs of the Small arms Activation and use the test die of the same color of the Small arms' range.

Insurgents is the only faction that can convert a Civilians marker into a Mob one, following the same steps above, but with the opposite purpose.

The possible results are:

Test - Converting Mob to Civilians

Critical Failure. Leave the marker as it is. Assign 1 level of Morale damage to the converting unit.

Placing / Removing Roadblocks (Special Action - Test)

Roadblocks are impassible obstacles for any unit except Helicopter or CAS units.

Only Regular units with the Engineers icon, neither Shaken nor Suppressed, can attempt to remove a roadblock marker.

To do it, a unit must be adjacent to a Roadblock marker on the map. Spend the same number of APs of the Small arms Activation for the test. Make a Test roll using the die of the same color of the Engineers icon. The possible results:

Test – Removing Roadblocks

Critical Failure. Leave the marker as it is. Assign 1 level of Morale damage to the working unit.
Failure. Leave the marker as it is.
Success. Eliminate the marker from the game.
Major Success. Eliminate the marker from the game. Move the working unit 1 Hex for free.

Any Insurgent infantry unit can place and remove Roadblocks markers without taking a test. They simply pay the Small arms Activation cost to place or remove a Roadblock marker adjacent to one of their units.

Designers' Note: The generic roadblock icon on the marker doesn't exactly represent what roadblocks actually are. For regular armies, a roadblock is a prepared position made of sandbags or concrete barriers used as a checkpoint and put under the surveillance of several soldiers or even vehicles. Its main goal is to control the access to a restricted area of operations. Insurgents use roadblocks to ambush, forcing enemy convoys and troops to use well-planned routes, in order to bring them straight into a trap. Thus, they are usually quite mobile, ranging from tire piles and oil drums to trucks or other heavy vehicles. However, they could be much stronger if they are meant to block armored convoys and not only to delay or reroute them. In this case, rubbles and vehicles of any sort set ablaze may do the job.

Example of converting mob. A unit of Marines is surrounded by 2 hostile mobs, and the situation is hot. The Blue player has 6 APs available, so he attempts to open dialogue with both rioting groups. He spends 3 APs and rolls the green die trying to convert the eastern mob. The result is a Failure. The Marines failed to convert the mob and takes 1 Morale damage. The Blue Player also tries to convert the western mob, spending 3 APs to roll the green die again. This time he gets a Success and the mob is peacefully converted.

Example of removing and placing roadblocks. US Engineers attempt to remove a roadblock blocking their path. Blue player has just 2 APs available: He spends 4 APs to attempt to remove the roadblock rolling the green die. The result is a Success, and the roadblock is removed. The Green player is now the Active one. He uses 2 APs to activate a SAM Squad to remove the adjacent roadblock, then 2 more APs to activate the AT Squad and place the removed roadblock adjacent to them. Green player turns Reactive. The situation hasn't changed very much for the Blue player.

A unit can perform a Special action, chosen among those available for similar units in its Army, even if it doesn't possess the necessary ability. In that case, the Small Arms strength value provides the number of Action Points required for the Special Action, as usual, but the unit will use a Grey die for the test, regardless of the color of its Small Arms value.

Fortifications

Fortifications are a peculiar kind of cover hex following some special rules that, although pretty straightforward, must be clarified.

They are represented in the map as cover hexes featuring a dot in the center and a set of in-line triangles to show the sides protected by fortifications. They look like walls of HESCO or sandbags. The tip of the triangles points "outside" the fortification, while their base points "inside." Artwork helps clarify what's "inside" and what "outside."

Hex sides printed with triangles can never be crossed, with the only exception of helicopters.

Treat fortifications as standard cover hexes in terms of LOS determination (see next chapter).

Units that occupy a fortifications hex gain a <2 modifier if enemy fire comes from the "outside" (i.e., the fire line crosses the triangles), but they gain no cover if enemy fire comes from the "inside" (i.e., the fire line doesn't cross the triangles).

Chapter 2

In this chapter you will learn:

To combat (firing and assaulting).
To Rally.
To take/free hostages.
To move Civilians and Mob markers.
Overwatch.
Throwing smoke grenades.

Line of Sight or LOS

A line of sight is the straight line connecting the center of a firing unit hex to the center of its target's hex. A line of sight is always reciprocal: If unit A sees unit B, then unit B sees unit A.

Each hex on the map has a LEVEL value, which can only be 0, 1 or 2. While LEVEL 0 never blocks any LOS, LEVEL 1 and LEVEL 2 might block it, depending on their position in a unit's LOS. Check any terrain level on the Terrain Chart.

5 golden rules regulate LOS:

LOS is NEVER blocked between two adjacent hexes.
The LOS between two hexes is ALWAYS blocked if the elevation of an intervening hex is higher than both.
The LOS between two hexes is ALWAYS blocked if the elevation of an intervening hex is higher than one of them and equal to the other.
The LOS between two hexes is NEVER blocked if the elevation of an intervening hex is equal to or lower than both (see the exceptions to this rule below).
The LOS between two hexes is NEVER blocked if the elevation of an intervening hex is higher than one of them but lower than the other.

Whenever a LOS touches any part of a blocking hex, before applying the golden rules above, the following hexes always block a line of sight:

Hexes containing a Roadblock or a Rubbles marker.
Hexes containing a Smoke marker always block a line of sight at any given LEVEL.
Hexes containing a Population marker (Civilians or Mob), but only if the firing unit is a Regular unit.

Designers' Note: The LOS rules are a simplified version of the classic standard rules you find in most wargames, as you don't consider any single object or feature within a hex. You don't need to be that precise. Simply use a sheet of paper or any other mean to trace a clear and straight line to your target hex. The idea is that a unit's members will always exploit a hex terrain to effectively engage the enemy, while taking as much cover as possible. Thus, in a urban hex, for example, some soldiers of the same unit may take cover behind a wall, some others could take position on the roof of a building to provide them cover from above. The ENTIRE unit benefits of cover.

Combat

There are basically two ways to fight enemy units in the game: Through fire or assault. They follow different procedures and have different requirements.

Remember that Shaken or Suppressed units can never fire or assault!

Firing (Action)

When you want to fire at an enemy ground unit, you must follow these fundamental steps:

STEP 1 - Choose which weapon to use (Small arms or Heavy weapons).
STEP 2 - Ensure that the target is in sight (check the LOS).
STEP 3 - Make sure that the target is within your chosen weapon's range.
STEP 4 - If the target is both in sight and within range, spend the relevant amount of APs.
STEP 5 - Roll one of the colored dice (properly modified) and check the results.

Whenever a LOS touches any part of a blocking hex, before reaching its target hex, that LOS is blocked, and the firing unit will not be able to see its target and fire at it. Refer to the Terrain Chart and the LOS Chart for further info on each terrain feature and its LEVEL.

The following hexes block a LOS even if they are at the same LEVEL of the firing and the target unit hexes:

Cover hexes.
Hexes containing friendly or enemy ground units.

STEP 1

As we have previously seen (page 5), unit counters have two columns of two values each on their backside: The Small arms column on the left and the Heavy weapons column on the right. When you want to fire at an enemy unit, you must decide whether to fire with your Small arms (using the left column values) or your Heavy weapons (using the right column values).

Small arms can be used against Vertical unit counters, as reminded by the vertical slot in the leftmost circle.

Against vehicles, you can only use the heavy weapons' value, as reminded by the horizontal slot in the rightmost circle. However, Heavy weapons can also be used against Infantry units (not against helicopters: The Helicopter hunting Special ability is required to do that).

Some units have a diamond instead of a circle around the Heavy weapons' Activation cost. Those are SAM units and can only engage airborne targets, but they will be discussed in another chapter.

STEP 2

Make sure that the firing unit can see its target, that is, no hexes are blocking the LOS - for example, higher ground or cover hexes - between the firing unit and its target.

STEP 3

A weapon's range is the colored number in brackets on the backside of a unit counter: The one on the left is for Small arms, and the one on the right is for Heavy weapons.

Count the number of hexes between the firing unit and its target (not including the hex that the firing unit is occupying, but including the target hex). If the number of hexes is equal to or smaller than the range value, you can fire at it following the next steps. Otherwise, the target is out of range and you cannot fire at it.

STEP 4

Now that you are sure to have your target in sight and within range, spend the relevant cost to fire. Firing at an enemy is an action; as such, you must spend APs.

The numbers in the circles on the backside of the unit are the costs in APs to fire: The left one for Small arms and the right one for Heavy weapons. Generally speaking, firing action costs vary depending on the type of unit and weapon.

STEP 5

Now it is time to roll the die to know your attack result.

Start checking the color of the range value for the selected weapon: This is the base die color.

Apply the following modifiers to the die color:

Target's defense value (see the back of the target);
Terrain modifiers (Check the Terrain chart);
Firing unit's physical damage modifiers (<1 for the 1 Hit marker and <2 for the 2 Hits marker);

If there is any modifier, starting from the color printed on the counter, move to the left (for negative modifiers "<") or to the right (for positive modifiers ">") on the Die Chart of as many positions as the modifier to be applied.

Once the final die color is determined, roll the die and check the result.

Combat Roll Results

Missed. No effect.
Shaken / Suppressed.
1 Hit.
2 Hits.
Kill.

Suppression and Rally (Action - Test)

Units can suffer morale and/or physical damage. There are two levels of moral damage: Shaken and Suppressed. You must use the relevant markers to indicate the type and level of damage.

The Morale marker shows a Shaken status on one side and a Suppressed status on the other.

The first level of morale damage is Shaken, indicating that a unit's firing capability has been disrupted. The second level is Suppressed and represents a pinned-down unit.

When a unit receives an additional morale level of damage, that unit surrenders and is eliminated from the game.

Shaken units cannot fire.

Suppressed can't perform any action (including firing and moving), excepted calling for support (see page 16 and 22).

You can recover from morale damage in two ways: At the end of a Turn or by Rally.

All Shaken or Suppressed units and support markers of both players automatically gain one morale level when a Turn ends: Shaken markers are removed and Suppressed ones are flipped over to their Shaken side.

If a player wants to improve the morale level of one of his units, he must declare the unit he intends to rally and spend as many APs as the die color he chooses to roll: 1 AP for the White one, 2 for the Pink one, 3 for the Grey one and so on.

Rally is an action requiring a test roll. Follow these steps:

Choose a Shaken or Suppressed unit to Rally;
Spend as many APs as the die color of your choice;
Roll the relevant die modified by the unit's health status (<1 for 1 Hit, <2 for 2 Hits; see below)

The possible results are:

Test – Rally

Failure. Nothing happens.
Success. Regain 1 morale level.
Major success. Remove any morale damage.

With a successful attempt, if the unit is Shaken, remove the Shaken marker. If the unit is Suppressed, flip over the marker to its Shaken side.

With major success, remove the Morale marker from the unit.

Example of Combat. An insurgent AT Squad ambushes the spearhead of a USMC recon mission. All the US units are in the LOS of the AT Squad. Before focusing on the LAV, they decide to open fire against the siding infantry elements. The southern one is in cover, while the Marines on the West are in the open, making them a perfect target. The Green player has 3 APs before becoming the reactive player. He spends 2 APs (Small arms' cost) to fire with the pink die. However, the Marines unit has a defense factor of 1 colored die shift to the left. Thus the Insurgents will roll the white die instead. The result is a Shaken result: The Marines suffer 1 morale damage and become Shaken. Blue player places a Shaken marker in the hex occupied by the Marines. The Green player is still Active. Now he spends 5 APs (Heavy weapon cost) to engage the LAV with the yellow die. The LAV is in the open but features a defense value of 2 dice shift to the left. Green player rolls the grey die. The result inflicts heavy damage on the LAV. The Blue player places a heavy damage (2 physical hits) marker close to the LAV unit. The Green player becomes reactive.

Physical Damage

There are two levels of physical damage: 1 Hit and 2 Hits.

The Damage marker shows a 1 Hit status on one side and a 2 Hits status on the other.

A unit is eliminated when suffering the third hit.

A unit with 1 Hit suffers a <1 modifier to any of its rolls and subtracts 1 from any of its actions' AP cost.

A unit with 2 Hits suffers a <2 modifier to any of its rolls and subtracts 2 from any of its actions' AP cost.

Physical damage can never be recovered.

Example (Rally). The Blue player has enough APs to attempt to recover the Marines from being shaken. He selects the green die, thus spending 3 APs for a Rally test. The result is a success: he can remove the Shaken marker.

If the Blue player decided to open fire with the LAV's Small arms instead of rallying the Marines, he would spend 4 APs instead of 6 and roll the green die instead of the red one as a base die since that unit is heavily damaged; thus, spending 2 APs less than usual and shifting two die colors to the left.

Optional – The Masini's rule: Anytime a unit sustains Heavy damage, also assign a Suppressed marker to it. This is what we call "The Masini's rule" in honor of our friend Riccardo Masini who suggested it to us.

Assault (Action - Test)

Units adjacent to a visible enemy unit can Assault it to try to occupy its position.

In order to do it:

Choose the unit you want to assault with.
Spend for the relevant number of APs: Units must use Small arms value against infantry units and Heavy weapons value against vehicle units.
Refer to the relevant weapon's range color in order to tell which die to roll, then modify it by the terrain modifier and the assaulting unit's Damage marker (if any).
Roll the resulting die.

Possible results:

Test - Assault

Critical Failure. Assaulting unit suffers 1 physical Hit.
Failure. Assaulting unit spends 2 additional APs.
Minor Success. Defending unit suffers 1 level of Morale damage and must retreat.
Success. Defending unit suffers 1 level of Morale damage, 1 physical Hit and must retreat.
Major Success. Defending unit is eliminated.

If the assault fails, the assaulting unit stays in its starting hex. In case of Critical failure, the assaulting unit suffers 1 physical damage (1 Hit); in case of failure, the Active player must spend 2 additional APs.

If the assault succeeds, the assaulted (defending) unit must perform a 1 Hex movement in the exact opposite direction of the assault. If such movement cannot be performed, the defending unit is eliminated. Moreover, in case of Minor success, the defending unit suffers 1 Morale damage or 1 Morale and 1 Physical damage in case of success.

The assaulting unit must move into the hex left vacant by the defending unit. Such movement has no cost for the assaulting unit.

If in the same hex with the defending unit there was:

a Mob marker, it retreats with the defending unit;
a Civilians marker, it stays in the hex without retreating.

If the assault is a major success, the defending unit is eliminated, and the assaulting one must move, without any cost, into the hex left vacant.

If in the same hex with the defending unit there was:

a Mob marker, it retreats to an adjacent hex chosen by the Insurgent player. If no adjacent unit is eligible to host a mob, it disbands and the marker is eliminated from the game.
a Civilians marker, it stays in the hex without retreating.

Assault never triggers Overwatch (see page 15).

Vehicles, helicopters and support markers can never assault.

Vehicles can only be assaulted by infantry using their Heavy weapons value.

Helicopters and any kind of markers can never be assaulted.

Example of Assault. The Blue player sees the chance to attack an Insurgent AT Squad defending a group of buildings. First, he spends 1 AP to move an Engineers' unit adjacent to the Insurgents, and then he spends 4 more APs (cost of Small arms) to assault them. Since the Engineers are assaulting a cover hex, the Blue player rolls the grey die for the Assault test instead of the green one. The result is a Minor Success: The Insurgent unit suffers 1 Morale damage and must withdraw 1 hex. The Green player must withdraw North East. The Blue player becomes the reactive player but won't run the risk of a Green counterattack by the AT Squad since it can't open fire nor assault, being shaken.

The only way to attack a unit with a Civilian/Mob counter attached to it is with an Assault. When the assault succeeds, the assaulting unit frees the Civilians advancing into their hex.

Moving Mobs/Civilians (Action)

Civilian markers can move with a unit of any faction. To do it, the Civilian marker and the unit must be in the same hex.

The unit must spend 1 extra AP per hex moved, and the Civilian marker must follow the unit. There is no additional cost "to attach" or "to drop" a Civilian marker following a unit.

Mob markers can only move with Insurgent units, following the above procedure.

Units assaulting must drop any Civilians or Mob markers in the hex they assault from, before resolving the assault. This means the Civilians or Mob don't have any effect whatsoever in the assault nor suffer any damage.

As seen before, should a unit defending from an Assault be defeated, any attached Civilians will be left in the assaulted hex, while Mobs will be moved for free in any adjacent hex by the Insurgent player.

Example of Assault with Mobs/Civilians. If in the previous Example of Assault both units had had Civilians and Mob respectively attached to them, things would have unfolded a little differently. In his approach to the Insurgent unit, the Blue player would have spent 2 APs instead of 1 due to the extra cost for moving the Civilians. The Civilians would have had to be dropped in the starting hex of the Assault. On the other hand, if the Insurgents had suffered a major defeat and the AT Squad unit had been eliminated, the Green player would have had to move the Mob to an adjacent hex of his choice.

Hostages / Human Shields

Civilians can be held hostage or used as human shields by the Insurgents' faction. Each time an Insurgent unit of any kind occupies a hex with a Civilian marker, that Civilian marker can be used as hostage/human shield by the Insurgents. This means that a unit in the same hex with hostages or human shields cannot be fired at by Regular forces.

Only Insurgents and Snipers can fire at enemy units that are in the same hex with Civilians.

Designers' Note: Unlike in the real world where civilians often suffer so much becoming victims of violence and war, in Warfare they will never be in danger of getting hurt. Even if they are fired upon, they will not take any damage.

Overwatch (Action)

All kinds of units (if not Shaken or Suppressed), including vehicles, helicopters, and off-map snipers, can be put in Overwatch by the Active player by spending 1 AP and placing a red wooden cube in the hex the unit is currently occupying, or on its counter in case of a sniper.

During the opponent's turn, a player's unit in Overwatch can fire at (not assault) any enemy unit entering a hex within weapons range and in LOS.

If the target unit moves through several such hexes, the unit in Overwatch can decide which hex to target.

Once fired, remove the red cube: Units can fire only once per Overwatch action.

Overwatch is exhausted - and the red cube removed - anytime the unit opens fire, moves, takes any action, or suffers morale damage.

Throwing Smoke (Action)

ONLY infantry units can throw smoke grenades to block LOS.

To do it, choose an eligible unit and spend 1 AP for the action.

Pick a hex adjacent to the chosen unit and place a Smoke marker in that hex.

Smoke markers hinder LOS at any level. Therefore, a unit cannot fire at a target if the LOS to that target touches any portion of a hex with a smoke marker in it.

Smoke markers cannot be deployed on water hexes.

Smoke markers are automatically removed when a turn ends. However, they cannot be removed and will keep on blocking the LOS of both sides' units until the turn ends.

Chapter 3

In this chapter you will learn:

How Support markers work.
To use Artillery/Mortars.
To use Recon.
To eliminate an IED or mine threat.
To use suppressive fire.

Support Markers

Support markers represent various kinds of support fire called to help you perform your tasks and accomplish your mission's objectives. Most of them are off-map units that enter the game or fire from afar only when called into action. For this reason, all Support markers are placed off the board at the beginning of a game and placed on the map only when used by a player. Once used, they must be put on the Action Track until they become available again.

The procedure is the same for any Support marker:

Pick the Support marker you want to use.
Spend the indicated APs for its action.
Put it on the map and use it (Supports may differ slightly in the way they carry out their attack)
Once used, put the Support marker in the Action Track box currently occupied by your Activation cube.

It will be available again when, after the current turn has finished, your Activation cube reaches again the box where you left your Support marker after using it.

The list below includes all the Supports classes and their features:

Helicopters are units and not support markers. Unlike all other units, you cannot use support markers against them (except for 'Close Air Support').

Calling for Artillery or Mortar Support (Action)

Artillery and mortar support work the same way.

Pick the Artillery or Mortar support marker you want to use, if available.

Declare which value you want to use depending on the target unit type: Small arms value against Infantry units (the left value on the marker) or Heavy weapons value against Vehicle units (the right value on the marker). Sometimes there is no difference between the values in terms of die color to roll.

Put the marker on the target hex. Check whether the target hex is in the LOS of any of your units.

If the target hex is in LOS: Pay the relevant cost for the chosen value and resolve the support fire as a regular firing action (see page 10).

If the target hex is NOT in LOS, dispersion occurs: Spend the number of AP corresponding to the chosen value and place a Dispersion marker on the target hex, with the arrow pointing at any edge of the hex (Active player's choice). Roll 1d8. Refer to the number rolled to find which adjacent hex is hit using the Dispersion marker as a compass. With a roll of 7 or 8, the attack targets the hex containing the Dispersion marker.

In case dispersion shifts a Mortar or Artillery attack declared as Heavy Weapon value to an unoccupied hex, resolve the attack anyway, because it may result in rubbles (see page 18).

Once resolved the support fire, put the marker in the box currently occupied by the Active player's Activation cube on the Action Track. Leave it there. When, in the next turn, that player's Activation Cube reaches again the box where the marker was left, he will be able to use it.

Unknown Markers and Recon (Special Action – Test)

Several markers feature a question mark icon on their backside: They are regarded as Unknown markers on this side and they never block LOS. Many are Situation markers; others are Sniper or Threat markers on the flipside.

To determine the real nature of an Unknown marker, you can either step in the hex containing the marker to reveal it (triggering any of its effects), or you can make use of units with the Recon icon to attempt to reveal the flip side of this kind of markers. To do it, a non-Suppressed unit with the Recon icon must be adjacent to a hex containing an Unknown marker.

If a unit steps in a hex containing an Unknown marker, revealing a Roadblock, that unit will have to spend the APs both to enter the blockaded hex and to get back to the one the unit was coming from.

Spend the same number of APs as for a Small arms activation for the test. Make a Test roll using the die of the same color of the Recon icon, modified by the unit's Physical damage marker, if any.

Units without a Recon icon can still attempt a Recon action, spending the same number of APs as for a Small Arms activation as usual, but rolling the Grey die for the test. The die color of the test is modified by the unit's Physical damage marker, if any.

The possible results are:

Test - Recon

Failure. The ? marker is not revealed. If it is an IED it may explode.
Minor Success. Flip the ? marker. If it is an IED it may explode.
Success. In case of success, you can flip the counter, and if it is an IED, you can remove it from play without triggering any of its effects.
Major Success. Flip the Unknown marker and remove it from the game without triggering any of its effects.

IEDs and Mines Markers

IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) and mines work almost the same way: They differ only in how they are activated.

Their markers have a question mark on one side. When you place them on the map, place the question mark side up.

When a unit steps in a hex containing one of these markers, flip the marker to the other side. The IED or mine blows up. The unit that stepped on IED or Mines marker - or adjacent to it, if performing a Recon - suffers an attack. Resolve it as a regular firing action but spending no APs. To know which colored die to roll, refer to the little hex's color next to the icon on the marker. Remove the IED marker once it has attacked the unit or units. Mines marker stay in place until they have been cleared.

Designers' Note: IED are virtually anywhere in modern warzones and take any shape or form, from a soda can to a dip filled with howitzer's rounds. Any suspicious object or situation is treated as a possible threat and represented here by Unknown markers. That's why on their flipside you can find almost anything. The player could be puzzled finding a roadblock on the flipside of an Unknown marker, for example, but in real life a bus occupying the entire roadway may be just a wreck (Road block marker) or an explosive trap (IED marker).

If the unit fails the Recon test roll, the Unknown marker stays in the hex, and its flip side is not revealed. If there is an IED icon on the flip side, the player owning that IED can decide whether to have it blow up or not (see below). If there is any other icon, nothing happens, and the marker stays on its Unknown side.

If the unit achieves a minor Success in the Recon test roll, flip the Unknown marker: If, on the flip side, there is an IED icon, the player owning that IED can decide whether to have it blow up or not (see below). If there is any other icon, nothing happens, and the marker is flipped on its revealed side.

Eliminating an IED and Clearing Mines (Special Action - Test)

Only units with Engineer ability can eliminate IEDs or clear mines.

To do it, a non-Suppressed unit with an Engineering ability icon must be adjacent to the hex containing the IED or Mine marker.

Spend the same number of APs of the clearing unit's Small Arms activation cost for the test.

Make a Test roll using the die of the same color of the Engineering icon, modified by the unit's Physical damage marker, if any.

The possible results are:

Test – Clearing IED/Mines

Critical Failure. IED/Mines explode.
Failure. The IED/Mines remain in place and active.
Success. Remove the IED/Mines marker.
Major Success. Remove the IED/Mine marker from the map. You can perform a 1 hex free movement with that unit.

Rubbles (Marker)

Rubbles markers block LOS and movement. They are impassable obstacles and cannot be removed.

Whenever a unit or a Support marker fires at an enemy unit using the value of the Heavy weapons, put a Rubbles marker in the target hex if the result is a Kill of any color.

Rubbles can also be already on the map if required by a scenario setup.

Dummy (Marker)

Dummy markers are Unknown markers with nothing on the flipside. They create more uncertainty in the opponent as to where mines, IEDs, and other hidden markers are.

They are placed on the board at the beginning of a game and removed, once revealed by a unit performing a Recon action or if a unit enters their hex.

Suppressive Fire (Special Action - Test)

Only units with the Suppressive fire Special action icon can perform it to "soften" a target and hinder its fire ability.

To do it, a unit with no morale damage and featuring the Suppressive icon must have a clear LOS to an enemy unit, even into a hex with a smoke marker (but not through it!)

Spend the same number of APs of the clearing unit's Small Arms activation cost for the test. Make a Test roll using the die of the same color of the Suppressive fire icon, modified by the unit's Physical damage marker, if any.

The possible results are:

Test – Suppressive Fire

Failure. No effect.
Minor Success. Assign 1 level of Morale damage to the target.
Success. Assign 2 levels of Morale damage to the target.
Major success. Assign 1 level of Morale damage and 1 physical hit (1 Hit) to the target.

Suppressive fire may be highly effective in hindering enemy armored operations when the defender can't field anti-armor weaponry.

Example of Suppressive fire. A US MMG Team is set to open fire against an approaching Insurgent vehicle. The MMG Team cannot directly fire at a vehicle; however, it can still try to "dissuade" it with some Suppressive fire. Blue player spends 6 APs (Small arms cost) and should roll the green die; however, having a 1 Hit marker, the die color to use for a Suppressive fire test gets shifted to grey. The result is a Failure: The Suppression attempt failed.

Chapter 4

In this chapter you will learn:

To use helicopter units.
To use the Helicopter hunting ability.
To use Sniper support.
To use Martyrdom ability.

Helicopter Units

Helicopter units are like other units, but they have some extra features and make some exceptions due to their flying ability. Players must be aware of this and the different movement stats (see the Terrain Chart).

They can have two different stances:

LOW = a helicopter unit in a clear or water hex is always considered to be flying in a LOW stance known as NOE (Nap of the Earth). This stance is considered LEVEL 0 (see page 10): All rules regarding LOS apply. A helicopter in a low stance can be fired upon using Small arms, SAM weapons and the Helicopter hunting ability (see below). All cover modifiers apply. A helicopter flying NOE cannot be targeted by CAS.

HIGH = a helicopter unit in any other kind of terrain that is not a clear or river hex is always considered to be flying in a HIGH stance and does not benefit from any terrain modifier. HIGH stance is considered LEVEL 3 (see page 10), making the aircraft always visible. All rules regarding LOS apply. Helicopter units in Overwatch are always considered to be in HIGH stance, even if in a clear or water hex. When in high stance, Helicopter units can be engaged by SAM (see page 22), CAS using Small arms (see page 22) or using the Helicopter hunting ability (see below).

Helicopters can never assault or be assaulted, no matter their stance.

OPTIONAL: Helicopters can use Small arms values only against infantry units and Heavy weapons values only against vehicles.

Designers' Note: Designing rules for helicopters wasn't an easy task. We wanted them to be on-map assets, instead of an abstract entity like in other games. Rules were written using the US Army Field Manual 1-112 for Attack Helicopter operations as reference. Although we expect to see helicopters popping out from cover, current real operations are much more tricky, with a compulsory direct visual ID, very strict flying altitude regulations and an intricate chain of command for fire authorization.

Helicopter Hunting (Special Ability)

Some Insurgents' Infantry units have a Helicopter hunting special ability. These units can ALSO use their Heavy weapons value against Helicopter units in LOW stance.

Being a special ability, it needs 1 AP to be activated to engage a Helicopter unit with this unit's Heavy weapons (see page 10).

Example of Helicopter activation. An Italian Mangusta is operating NOE in clear terrain, entering a small town in the Afghani countryside. Its crew cannot see the Insurgent unit on the other side of the building, because both the helicopter and the insurgent units are in clear (level 0) and separated by a cover hex (Level 1). Blue player spends 1AP to move the Mangusta around the small huts, and only when it flies adjacent to the Insurgent unit they see each other. Being in overwatch, the Insurgent unit is activated with an unwelcome surprise for the Mangusta since that Insurgent unit has the Helicopter hunting ability! Thus, Green player spends 6 APs to open fire with that unit's Heavy weapon, using the yellow die. However, Mangusta's defense value shifts the die color of 2 colors to the left, converting the yellow die into the grey one. Luckily for the Mangusta, the result is a miss.

Snipers (Support Marker)

A Sniper is a support marker. On the flip side, it shows a question mark icon: This Unknown marker side will be used in some scenarios. To use it:

Pick the Sniper marker you want to use, if available.

Spend the relevant APs (sniper markers have only one value and color).

Put the marker on the target hex: You don't need to check LOS when using a sniper, and no terrain nor target defense values apply.

If an enemy sniper is in Overwatch (if available), he may fire on the attacking sniper first. In this case, resolve the attack as usual and apply any result as if the attacking sniper were a standard unit (i.e., physical and morale damage).

After applying any enemy sniper's Overwatch fire, resolve your sniper attack if he is still in condition to fire (i.e., capable and with no morale damage). Follow the standard rules for firing, but don't apply any modifier but the sniper's physical damage modifiers, if any.

Put the Sniper marker into the box currently occupied by the owning player's Activation cube with any physical or morale damage marker it got.

Snipers cannot fire at vehicles and helicopter units, nor into a hex with a smoke marker.

Example of Sniper fire. An Insurgent sniper targets a Unit of Marines in cover: Green player spends 2 APs. However, the Blue player has a Marine sniper off-map in Overwatch, so he opts to use it before the Insurgent opens fire. Blue player spends 4 APs and rolls the green die with no modifiers. The result is a Shaken result: Being Shaken, the Insurgent sniper interrupts the attack, and its marker is relocated on the Action Track at the current AP value, likewise the USMC sniper.

Martyrdom (Special Action - Test)

Only units with a Martyrdom Special Action icon can perform it. It is a suicidal attack meant to cause as much damage as possible to an adjacent enemy unit.

To do it, a unit with Martyrdom's Special Action icon must be adjacent to its enemy target and without any morale damage.

Spend the same amount of APs as for a Small Arms activation of the martyr unit.

Roll a die referring to the color of the Martyrdom icon, applying any modifiers.

The possible results are:

Test - Martyrdom

Critical Failure. The martyr unit is eliminated. No effect on the target unit.
Failure. Target suffers 1 level of Morale damage. The martyr unit is eliminated.
Minor Success. Target suffers 1 Physical hit (1 Hit). The martyr unit is eliminated.
Success. Target suffers 2 Physical hits (2 Hits). The martyr unit is eliminated.
Major Success. Both the target and the martyr unit are eliminated.

Only one enemy unit can be selected as a Martyrdom target, even if more enemy units are adjacent to the martyr unit.

Unlike reality, civilians and mobs are not affected by this kind of attacks.

Depending on the scenario, Martyrdom ability is not always available to units featuring this special ability.

Designers' Note: Players should not be spoiled to think to martyrdom necessarily as a man with an explosive belt launched against an enemy unit in a suicidal attack. Actually, martyrdom in Warfare has been conceived as a generic fanatical action undertaken by an insurgent unit contemptuous of its own life, be it the attempt to drop a grenade into an armored vehicle's hatch or rushing into enemy lines with armed grenades in hands, or even a fanatical firefight. We believe there is no need to underline we don't approve nor least of all endorse terror attacks: They are a cruel expression of modern asymmetrical warfare that we thought should be, nevertheless, included. If a player feels uneasy with the Martyrdom rule, they are free not to use it minding that its impact is little more than negligible for scenarios' outcome.

Vehicle Units

Vehicle units (tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, technicals, etc.) work like infantry except that only Heavy weapon values can be used to attack them.

Vehicles show different movement statistics from infantry: In particular, they move slower in cover and elevation hexes but faster in the open. (see the Terrain Chart).

Vehicle units are mounted with the longer side of their counter inserted into the plastic base.

Chapter 5

In this chapter you will learn:

To use SAM weapons.
To use Close Air support.
To use Drone Support
To use Units' Special abilities.

SAM Weapons

In Warfare, anti-aircraft weapons are represented by MANPADS or man-portable air defense systems (shortened with SAM in these rules).

When a Heavy weapon's cost number is within a diamond-shaped icon instead of a circle, that heavy weapon is a SAM weapon and can ONLY be used against air supports and helicopters (in either HIGH or LOW stance).

Resolve an attack with such a weapon as you would with any other attack; just make sure your target is an air support or a helicopter unit in HIGH or LOW stance.

Close Air Support (Support Marker)

Close Air Support (CAS) is a support marker. To use it:

Pick the CAS marker you want to use.

Choose which value you want to use, regardless of the kind of target, and spend the relevant amount of APs.

Put the marker on the target hex: You don't need to check LOS when using air support.

If the CAS's target or any other enemy unit is in Overwatch, they may fire on the air support first, provided they have a SAM weapon. In this case, resolve the attack normally and apply any result as if the air support marker was a unit, applying any morale or physical damage to it. In case of a Shaken die roll result, the air support aborts the attack and goes back onto the Action Track, along any marker attached to it. As usual, the suppression marker is automatically removed when the current turn ends.

Resolve the air support attack: Follow the standard rules for firing, applying any modifiers.

After the Close Air Support attack and before it leaves the map, the defending player can fire at the Air support using one available SAM units (if any) as if they were in Overwatch, irrespective of the range. This means that SAM units in overwatch can fire twice during a CAS attack.

Put the CAS marker in the box currently occupied by that player's Activation cube with any suppression or damage marker it got.

CAS can be used to target helicopters in high stance only. In this case, use the Heavy weapons value to engage the helicopter.

Example of Air support. An Insurgent Technical has pinned down some Marines, and they call for some Close Air Support. An A-10 orbiting in the area welcomes the request with a reassuring "rolling in hot." It engages the Insurgent position with its Small weapons (an aircraft's gun in Warfare is considered as such, while the bombload is referred to as Heavy Weapons). The Blue player spends 8 APs. An Insurgent's SAM unit is nearby, but it can't launch against the incoming aircraft since it's not in overwatch. The Technical is in the open and has no defense value: The Blue player rolls the Purple die and kills the vehicle. While egressing, the A-10 is engaged by the SAM squad, even if Green is still the reactive player: This latter spends 6 APs and rolls the red die, shifted to grey due to the A-10 defense value of 3 colored dice to the left. The result is Shaken: A Shaken marker is applied to the A-10 whose marker is brought back on the Action Track.

Drones Support (Support Marker)

Drone support has nothing to do with the Squad Drones special ability (see below). Whereas the latter simulates the use of small reconnaissance drones with limited range and no payload, drone support represents larger drones used both for reconnaissance and to hit ground targets.

The drone support marker has two faces: a smaller attack FPV drone on one side and a larger one on the other. Scenario briefings or player selection, in the case of randomly generated scenarios, determine which side to use.

Drone support works exactly like Close Air Support (see page 22) with a few, small, differences:

SAM weapons can be used only against drones featuring the icon, following the rules described in the CAS section. This type of drone can be jammed by infantry but cannot be rammed by other drones (see below).
Ramming: A friendly drone in Overwatch can be used against an enemy attacking drone to ram and damage it. Treat this action as a normal Small Arms attack. Assign any damage caused by the ramming drone to both involved drones.
In case of Morale damage, the attacking drone aborts the attack and its marker is returned to the Activation Track in the box currently occupied by the owner's Activation Cube. Physical damage will modify the ongoing attack as usual.
Once a drone attack is resolved, the drone is considered wasted (i.e., destroyed in the attack or dismissed toward the loitering area); thus, put the Drone marker in the box currently occupied by that player's Activation Cube without any suppression or physical damage marker it received.

Drone Jamming (Action - Test)

Before conducting an attack, an enemy drone can be jammed in an attempt to disable or steal it by an infantry unit with the Recon icon.

Spend the same number of APs as for a Small Arms activation for the test and apply unit's physical damage modifiers, if needed. The possible results are:

Test – Drone Jamming

Failure. The drone conducts the attack as usual.
Success. The drone is jammed and aborts the attack. Return it to the Activation Track.
Major Success. You steal the enemy drone and can immediately conduct an attack with it against any enemy unit on the map.

Drone Recon (Action)

You can use drones also for recon purposes. To perform a drone recon, a non-suppressed infantry unit of the owning faction, with the Recon icon, must spend the same amount of APs as for a Small Arms activation. As a result, any enemy Overwatch cube is removed from the map and an Artillery attack conducted anywhere on the map, before the end of the current activation, will be considered to have a spotter.

Special Abilities

Some units have peculiar special abilities, denoted by a pentagonal icon on the backside of their counters.

Squad Drones (Special Ability)

The Squad Drones special ability has the same effects as the Drone Recon action, but is limited to a 2-hex range, instead of the entire map.

As a special ability, it must be activated by spending 1 AP whenever the owning player intends to use it. It can be used multiple times in a row.

Stealth (Special Ability)

When active, the Stealth special ability allows a unit to never trigger Overwatch, thanks to their tactics or excellent knowledge of the area.

As a special ability, it must be activated by spending 1 AP whenever the owning player intends to use it and it lasts for the entire unit's activation.

Amphibious (Special Ability)

Units (either infantry or vehicles) with the Amphibious special ability can move into water hexes by spending 1 AP per hex entered.

Infantry units cannot fire while moving in water, while vehicles can.

As a special ability, it must be activated by spending 1 AP whenever the owning player intends to move from land to water and vice versa.

Airborne (Special Ability)

Some units have the Airborne special ability icon on their counter, which means they can be parachuted into any empty (non-water) hex on the map.

An Airborne unit can be initially left out of the game setup and introduced on the map at any time, by spending 1 AP. Once deployed, though, it cannot be removed from the map to be parachuted again.