Ambush Rules With Errata

AMBUSH! RULES: PAGE 1

{COVER PHOTO HERE}


1. Introduction ................................................... 3

2. Game Parts and Terms ................................. 3 2/1 German Soldier Cards .............................................. 3 2/2 View Sleeve and Mission Cards .............................. 3 2/3 The Mission Maps ................................................... 4 2/4 The Playing Pieces ................................................... 4 2/5 The Squad Record .................................................... 5 2/6 US Soldier Cards ..................................................... 6 2/7 Paragraph Booklet.................................................... 6 2/8 Chart Reference Screen ........................................... 6 2/9 Two Ten-Sided Dice ................................................ 6 2/10 Soldier Characteristics ........................................... 6 2/11 Terms Used During Play ........................................ 6

3. Course of Play ............................................... 8 3/1 General Course of Play ............................................ 8 3/2 Play Outline ............................................................. 8

4. Squad Generation ......................................... 8

5. Operations ..................................................... 9 5/1 Paragraph Checks .................................................... 9 5/2 Soldier Stances ......................................................... 9 5/3 Actions During Operations ...................................... 9 5/4 Sightings ................................................................ 10 5/5 Conditions .............................................................. 10 5/6 Event Checks ......................................................... 10 5/7 Perception Checks.................................................. 10 5/8 Activation Checks .................................................. 11 5/9 Random Determination .......................................... 11

6. Action Rounds ............................................. 11 6/1 Action Sequence .................................................... 11 6/2 Activating German Soldiers ................................... 12 6/3 Command and Commanders .................................. 12 6/4 Panic ...................................................................... 13 6/5 US Soldier Awareness ........................................... 13 6/6 German Activation During Rounds ....................... 13 6/7 Performing Actions During Rounds ...................... 14 6/8 German Actions ..................................................... 14 6/9 German Action Paragraph Examples ..................... 15 6/10 German Activation When US Soldiers Have Yet to Enter ........................................................ 16 6/11 Condition Changes During Rounds ..................... 16

7. Movement .................................................... 16 7/1 General Rules for Movement ................................. 16 7/2 Movement During Operations ............................... 16 7/3 Movement During Rounds ..................................... 16 7/4 German Evasive Movement ................................... 17

8. Line of Sight ................................................ 17 8/1 Tracing a Line of Sight .......................................... 17 8/2 Blocking Terrain .................................................... 17 8/3 LOS Problems ........................................................ 18

9. Fire Combat ................................................. 20 9/1 Fire Combat Procedure .......................................... 20 9/2 Multiple Fire Targets ............................................. 21 9/3 Fire Shifts............................................................... 21 9/4 Weapon Jamming and Clearing ............................. 21 9/5 Ammo Expenditure ................................................ 21 9/6 German Fire Combat Terms .................................. 22 9/7 Crew Weapons ....................................................... 22 9/8 Bazookas ................................................................ 22 9/9 German Attacks on Buildings (OPTIONAL) ........ 22

10. Grenade/Satchel Charge Combat ............. 23 10/1 Grenade/Satchel Charge Combat Procedure ........ 23 10/2 Grenade Strike PC Check .................................... 23 10/3 Grenade Scatter .................................................... 23 10/4 Satchel Charges .................................................... 24

11. Assault Combat ......................................... 24 11/1 Assault Combat Procedure ................................... 24 11/2 Capture ................................................................. 25 11/3 Charge Assault ..................................................... 25 11/4 Assault Modifiers ................................................. 25

12. Minefields and Boobytraps ....................... 25 12/1 Boobytrap Procedure ........................................... 25 12/2 Minefield Procedure ............................................. 25

13. Damage ...................................................... 26 13/1 Panic Results ........................................................ 26 13/2 Wound Results ..................................................... 26 13/3 Incapacitation Results .......................................... 26 13/4 Kill Results .......................................................... 26 13/5 Penetration Results ............................................... 26 13/6 Aimed Automatic Weapon Damage .................... 27

14. Captured Equipment ................................. 27

15. Victory ....................................................... 27

Mission 1: Bloody St. Mick ............................. 28

16. Campaign ................................................... 28 16/1 Campaign Procedure ............................................ 28 16/2 Combat Point Awards .......................................... 28 16/3 Improving Soldier Characteristics ........................ 29 16/4 Replacements ....................................................... 29

17. Vehicles ..................................................... 29 17/1 Vehicle Attributes ................................................ 30 17/2 Vehicle Facing ..................................................... 30 17/3 Vehicle Movement During Operations ................ 30 17/4 Vehicle Movement During Rounds ..................... 30 17/5 Drivers, Passengers, and Crew ............................. 31 17/6 Fire Combat Against Vehicles ............................. 31 17/7 Vehicle Fire Combat ............................................ 31 17/8 German Vehicle Paragraphs ................................. 32 17/9 Accident Checks .................................................. 32 17/10 Vehicles, Minefields, and Boobytraps ............... 32 17/11 Grenades and Satchel Charges ........................... 32 17/12 Running Over Soldiers ....................................... 33 17/13 Tanks .................................................................. 33

Mission 2: Advance on Chasoul .................... 34

Mission 3: A Cold Morning in Belgium .......... 34

Mission 4: D-Day Night Drop to Destiny ........ 34

Mission 5: Operation Pickpocket ................... 36

Mission 6: Pleasure Boating to the West Wall ...................................... 37

Mission 7: Bait for the Trap ............................ 38

Mission 8: Dash for the Sambre ..................... 39

VEHICLE SUMMARY ....................................... 40


1. Introduction Ambush! is a tactical level solitaire game of man-to-man

combat on the western front in World War II. It depicts small unit actions in great detail and, for the most part, accurately. However, it should be understood that more happens in a sin-gle Ambush! mission than an average soldier encountered in an entire battle historically. Thus, you and your squad are an elite group that gets into an extraordinary amount of combat and adventure during your missions.

Since Ambush! is a solitaire game, the presence of the Germans is hidden from you until you discover them. Fur-thermore, you never know what the Germans will do until their intentions are revealed during play. We have attempted to en-crypt the German moves and strategies as best we could. How-ever, the German actions and hidden intelligence procedures we use are simple and can be easily uncovered. We highly recommend that you not break them, because one of the main pleasures of this game is being surprised during play by the things the Germans do. The reason for the game s title will become obvious in very short order.

It is possible to play Ambush! with two players. In fact, the game can be particularly fun when played this way. The best two-player game is to divide your squad into two groups of four soldiers each. Each player should receive at least one commander. Equipment should be split evenly between the two half-squads as best as you can. The game is then played as usual with the two of you playing cooperatively, rather than competitively. It is especially fun if you limit conversation between yourselves. For instance, you can talk about strategy and possible moves only when you each have a soldier pref-erably the commander within earshot (two hexes) of each

other. You can play semi-competitively by keeping track of the VPs each of your half squads earn separately and comparing your totals at the end of the mission. You can also use these same ideas to play the game with three or more players. Exper-iment, because Ambush! is flexible enough to allow different types of play.

Each Ambush! mission can be played only once, because after playing it you know its plot, characters, and mysteries. However, we have found that if you return to a mission long after you played it the first time, it has some replay value due to the frailty of human memory. Do not depend on this, how-ever, since you might just remember anyway. For these rea-sons, Ambush! missions should be played carefully and sa-vored for their flavor and uniqueness.

We hope you enjoy Ambush! and that it provides you with many evenings of enjoyment.

GAMES QUESTIONS If you have questions about the rules, feel free to write to

us. When you do, please word your questions so that we can respond with a simple one-word answer when possible, and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. This will ensure a quick and precise answer to your questions. Mail them to:

Ambush! Questions Victory Games, Inc. 43 West 33rd Street, Suite 603 New York, NY 10001

2. Game Parts and Terms Some of the terms and ideas mentioned in the following

rules will not make much sense until you have read the rest of the rules. Simply refer back to this section later, once you have finished reading the rules.

2/1 German Soldier Cards Every German soldier or vehicle that might appear in any

of the missions has its own card listing its characteristics and possible actions. When a German soldier is activated, pull his card from the deck and place it in front of you for easy refer-ence. Keep the card there until the German becomes inactive due to being killed or incapacitated or because he has exited the map.

Number. The number identifies each character and vehicle card individually.

Identity Letter. A letter from L through Z (omitting O) that matches a soldier or vehicle counter to show the German on the map. Each letter appears on more than one card, but only appears on one card used per mission.

Type. A word describing the German soldier s primary role or characteristic, such as officer, sniper, or driver.

Activation Victory Point Award. The number of Victory Points you receive when the German is activated, regardless of what happens later with that German.

Conditional Victory Point Award. The number of Victory Points you receive if something specific happens to the Ger-man. Most Germans have no Conditional VP award.

Weapons. All the equipment the German is carrying. Each German uses his equipment as directed in the paragraphs.

Characteristics. Each German is rated in four areas: Initiative, Perception, Weapon Skill, and Movement Point Allowance. Some Germans also have a Driving Skill rating. Some vehicles have a range of ratings, depending on the current status of the vehicle and crew. See paragraph 2/10 for explanations of each characteristic.

Action Table. A matrix used to determine what actions a Ger-man soldier undertakes each time he gets a turn. Usually, the result of a die roll is cross-referenced with the current Mission Condition (a number from 1 to 6) to yield an Action Paragraph describing the German s maneuvers. Sometimes, however, a Special Reaction or Self-Preservation (both indicated by let-ters) may be in effect for a German, in which case the die re-sult is cross-reference with the appropriate letter column in-stead.

Notes. Many soldiers have instructions specifying what each does when first activated or when other situations arise during play. Read these notes carefully.

2/2 View Sleeve and Mission Cards The Mission Cards represent, in a scrambled form, all the

paragraph references required to play each mission. The sleeve

GE 1/Q Soldier +1 VP

IN: 1. PC: 2. WS: -1. MPA: 3. Machine Pistol CONDITION SPECIAL DIE 2-3 4 A S

0-2 808 920 808 813

3 824 803 824 816

4-7 802 809* 802 802

8-9 800 813 800 839

NOTES: Assists GE 49 unless 49 is wounded or inactive, in which case GE 5 fires LMG. First turn use 815. *Use for rest of mission if Condition 5 occurs (self preservation still applies)


enables you to find those paragraphs you need without letting you see what else the mission might have in store for you. Each mission is played using two or three Mission Cards read one at a time in the view sleeve. Each Mission Card is identi-fied by Mission Number and Mission Condition Number. At the start of a mission, place the Mission Condition 1 card for that mission in the sleeve with the Condition 1 side facing the slots. Refer to the sleeve/card each time a Paragraph Check is triggered by a US soldier entering a hex, each time you con-duct an Event Check, and each time you must move a German.

When a US soldier enters a hex, look up the paragraph number by aligning the hex number on the sleeve with the hex letter on the card in the window. If a black paragraph number appears in the slot above or below that number, look up the paragraph in the Paragraph Booklet. If the number is preceded by a Sighting Reference (sl, s2, etc.), and that sighting has oc-curred, do not look up the listed paragraph. In some slots, the word Event appears instead of a paragraph number. This means you must conduct an Event Check (5/6) if Operations are underway. Event Checks are not triggered by Mission Cards during Rounds.

When an Event Check is rolled, line up the die result on the sleeve with the RE (Random Event) column of the Mission Card. If a paragraph number appears in the appropriate slot, look it up in the Paragraph Booklet. However, if the number is preceded by a Sighting Reference that has already occurred, do not look up the listed paragraph.

When you must move a German (6/8), locate the hex he occupies by aligning the hex number on the sleeve with the hex letter on the Mission Card. Read the red hex coordinate or paragraph number that appears in the corresponding slot. If it is a hex coordinate, move the German to that hex. If a para-graph number appears, look it up in the Paragraph Booklet to determine how the German moves. In some cases, the word Exit appears, which indicates that the German leaves the map.

As play of a mission proceeds, a paragraph may tell you to put a new condition into effect. When this occurs, remove the Mission Card from the sleeve and flip it over or replace it with the Mission Card for the new condition.

2/3 The Mission Maps Each mission is played on one of these two maps. Map A

shows farm country, with a raised road surrounded by hedges and fields. Map B portrays a small village built around a cross-roads and a railroad station nestled in a small valley. A hexag-onal grid is superimposed over the terrain features to aid in the placement of the playing pieces. Each hex has a letter-number coordinate and represents an area 10 meters across. The terrain symbology used on each map is identified in the Terrain Key. More than one type of terrain is often depicted in a single hex to give a more natural look. However, only one type is actually used in game terms.

A hex containing any woods pattern is a woods hex throughout (hex G-2, on Map B, for instance, is entirely a woods hex). In the case of all other terrain types, a hex s type is determined by the terrain type filling the majority of the hex.

In addition to the playing area, each map has the following tracks:

The Action Round Track is used during Action Rounds to show the status of each soldier in play. Each soldier has an Action Round marker that is moved from space to space on the track. An AR marker in the Inactive space indicates that the soldier is killed, incapacitated, or captured. An AR marker in the Unaware space indicates that the soldier is active, but does not know what is going on around him. An AR marker in the Complete space indicates that the soldier is active and aware,

but has no turns in the current Round. An AR marker in a Turn space indicates that the soldier can take one or two Turns in the current Round. AR markers are placed in Turn spaces in either the Advantage or Disadvantage half of the Turn, depend-ing on which side has the advantage for this Round.

The German Action Track shows the current German Ac-tion die result during Action Rounds. Each time a new German Action number is rolled, move the German Action marker to the matching space on the track as a reminder.

2/4 The Playing Pieces Many of the 218 playing pieces represent US and German

soldiers, vehicles, and special equipment, and special terrain features. The rest of the pieces are markers, used to note the status of your soldiers and the enemy.

US and German soldiers are placed on the map as each enters play. The US soldiers are identified by a silhouette and by the letters A through K (omitting I). Soldiers A through H make up your squad; US soldiers J and K may be encountered during a mission. German soldiers are identified by a silhouette and by the letters L through X (omitting O). Each soldier is shown in two stances: standing on the front, and crouching on the back. The prone stance is indicated by placing a prone marker atop the soldier.

Action Round Markers. Each US soldier has several AR markers with his identity number, showing different Initiative Rat-ings (one per side). At the start of a mis-

sion, the AR marker with an IN matching the soldier s is placed on the AR Track and is used to note the soldier s status during Action Rounds. The soldier s other AR markers are not used. Every German soldier has one AR marker that is placed on the AR Track, with his IN showing, when that soldier is activated.

Heavy Weapons are placed on the map to show those weapons that are too large to be carried by one soldier or that must be prepared before use. These include

US medium machineguns, heavy machineguns, bazookas, and German light, medium, and heavy machineguns. Each weapon is shown prepared for fire on one side and unprepared on the other.

Personal Weapons are not usually repre-sented by markers on the map, but instead are recorded on the Squad Record or German Soldier Cards. Personal weapon

markers are placed on the map only when a weapon is dropped in a hex or becomes jammed. Each weapon is shown in operat-ing condition on one side, and jammed on the other.

Radios can be carried and used by certain US and German soldiers.

Satchel Charges can be carried and used by certain US soldiers. Each satchel charge is shown prepared for throwing on one side and unprepared on the other.

Minefield/Boobytrap. Placed in a hex with the proper side up when the presence of a minefield or boobytrap is revealed by a paragraph.


Vehicles are used in some of the missions by your squad or by the Germans. The only US vehicles available are jeeps and tanks. German vehicles include a scout car (Kubelwagen), an armored staff car, a tank destroyer (Jagdpanther), and a tank (Panzer IV). Each German vehicle has an identity letter (Y or Z). Each vehicle is shown operational on the front and disabled on the back. The operational side of each vehicle has an arrow to show the direction that the vehicle is moving.

Blast, Crater, Rubble, Burning Building. Placed in a hex to show

the effects of an artillery

strike or other large ex-

plosion. Any non-building hex hit by artillery becomes a blast

crater. A building hex hit by artillery becomes a rubble hex. A

building hex with combustibles in it that is hit by artillery be-

comes a burning building and may not be entered. Blast crater

counters have rubble or burning buildings on their backs.

Fords are placed in stream hexes to show that the water may be crossed on foot at that point.

Landmarks represent a variety of special objects and struc-tures not shown on the map that may be encountered during a mission. When a landmark is mentioned in a paragraph, locate the appropriate counter and place it on the map.

Starshell Rocket Gantry Rocket Trash

Radar Crashed Plane Fuel Dump Antenna

Wounded/Incapacitated. Placed atop a soldier on the map to show that he has been wounded or incapacitated.

Killed/Captured. Placed atop a soldier on the map to show that he has been killed or captured.

Prone. Placed atop a soldier on the map who has fallen prone. Incapacitated or killed soldiers are always prone and thus no prone marker is needed for them.

Event. Placed in each hex on the map in which an Event Check has occurred and in some hexes where Perception Checks occur (as required by the paragraph). When a hex that already has an Event marker is entered, no Paragraph Check is

conducted. Each time the Mission Condition changes, all Event markers are removed from the map (5/5).

German Action Number. Placed and moved on the German Action Track as a reminder of the current German Action Number during Action Rounds.

Second Floor. Placed beneath a soldier who oc-cupies the steeple in hex S-13 on Map B.

2/5 The Squad Record At the start of each mission, record the attributes of your

soldiers and note the weapons and equipment they are carrying on the Squad Record. During the mission, use the Squad Rec-ord to note gain or loss of equipment, Victory Points, and other mission information. One Squad Record sheet is used per mis-sion.

The filled-out Squad Record in this booklet can be used in any of the scenarios. However, always use the entire squad as a group, not separately to replace killed soldiers. If you play the scenarios as a campaign, you can use this squad to start and then replace any of its killed members with soldiers you gener-ate. When you use the squad to play a scenario other than the first one, use the soldiers characteristics, but not their equip-ment. Use the equipment purchase procedure in Squad Genera-tion (4) and the limitations listed for the mission being played.

Each soldier in your squad has his own section on the Record identified with his letter. Record the following ratings for each soldier in his section: Initiative (IN), Perception (PC), Weapon Skill (WS), Driving Skill (DS), and Movement Point Allowance (MPA). Each soldier s section also includes the following:

Port Boxes provide space to record the weapons and equipment the soldier is carrying. Write the name of each item the soldier is carrying in one or more of his Port Boxes, de-pending on the item s size. A soldier cannot carry more items than his Port Boxes allow. However, two soldiers can combine their Port Boxes to carry a crew weapon.

Ammo Boxes provide space to record the clips, grenades, bazooka charges, and pistols the soldier is carrying. Write the name of each separate clip, etc., the soldier is carrying in one Ammo Box. A soldier whose Ammo boxes are full cannot car-ry any more clips, etc. Place an X through Ammo Boxes ex-pended in play (9/5).

Combat Boxes are used only if you are using your squad in a continuing campaign (16). Each time a soldier earns a Com-bat Point during a mission, mark one of these boxes.

Cost Boxes are used to record the cost in Squad Points you spent for each soldier. This value is used when playing the game as a campaign.

Commander Boxes are checked off for each soldier who is a commander. Leave them blank for those soldiers who are not commanders.

The following general information is also noted on the Squad Record:

Your squad s overall rating in Squad Points.

Your squad s Equipment rating in Weapon Points.

The number of Victory Points your squad has earned and lost during the mission. Keep track of Victory Points with hash marks.

The current Mission Condition and Activation Levels. Each mission can have up to six Conditions. Each Condition has an Activation Level, used to activate Germans, which is recorded in the Activation space at the start of the mission (5/8). Each


time a new Condition comes into effect, fill in all the boxes up to and including the new Condition number.

Sightings. Each mission can have up to 10 sightings, num-bered 0 through 9, which can occur during the mission. When a sighting occurs, check the correspondingly numbered box. Thereafter, ignore any paragraphs and paragraph references preceded by that sighting reference, since it has already oc-curred. This saves time by cutting down the number of Para-graph Checks you have to make.

2/6 US Soldier Cards Every US soldier that your squad might encounter during

a mission has his own card. Each US card is organized like a soldier s section on the Squad Record. In addition, each card has an identity number, an identity letter and, in some cases, special notes about the soldier when in play.

2/7 Paragraph Booklet This indexed manual of paragraphs forms the brains of the

game. Do not read a paragraph unless specifically instructed to do so during a mission. As your soldiers move around the map and engage Germans in combat, you will be referred to these paragraphs by number.

2/8 Chart Reference Screen All the charts, tables, and summaries referred to in these

rules are printed on this screen. Stand the screen in front of you on the table for easy reference.

2/9 Two Ten-Sided Dice When a die roll is called for, one of three types of dice roll

will be indicated:

Roll one die. Roll either die to obtain a result from 0 through 9. Note that a 0 is read as a zero; not as ten.

Roll two dice. Roll both dice and add the two results to-gether for a result from 0 (two zeroes) to 18 (two nines).

Roll percentile dice. Declare one die as the tens die and the other as the ones die, and then roll both together to ob-tain a result from 0 (two zeroes) to 99 (two nines).

Example: If the tens-die shows a 4 and the ones-die an 8, the result is 48; if the tens-die shows a 0 and the ones-die a 6, the result is 6.

2/10 Soldier Characteristics Every US and German soldier is defined by a series of

characteristics. Each characteristic has a numerical rating; the higher the rating, the better the characteristic. These character-istics are used during play to determine what the soldier can do and how well he can do it. Often in the rules and paragraphs the characteristics are referred to by their abbreviations.

Initiative (IN). A number from 0 through 5, representing the will to act and react. IN is used during each Action Round to determine how many turns a soldier receives, when he can take his turns, and whether or not he panics. For US soldiers, IN

determines whether the soldier is in or out of command and, during squad generation, affects the quality of a soldier s Per-ception.

Perception (PC). A number ranging from 0 through 9, repre-senting awareness and attention to detail. PC is used to conduct a Perception Check (5/7) whenever called for by a paragraph. A PC Check is resolved by rolling one die. If the result is less than or equal to the soldier s PC, the check succeeds, and he notices something that he would have missed had he failed the check.

Weapon Skill (WS). A number ranging from -2 through +2, representing marksmanship ability and general familiarity with weapons. WS affects a soldier s chance of hitting a target when firing a weapon, throwing a grenade or satchel charge, clearing a jammed weapon, and assaulting.

Driving Skill (DS). A number ranging from 0 through 8, repre-senting the ability to handle vehicles. DS affects a soldier s chance of having an accident when driving.

Movement Point Allowance (MPA). A number ranging from 3 through 5, representing quickness and reaction time. The max-imum number of Movement Points a soldier can spend in a single movement action (7/3) equals his Movement Point Al-lowance.

Command Radius. US and German soldiers that are com-manders have a Command Radius of two hexes, representing the ability to lead and inspire others to act. A US soldier with this characteristic is called a commander, and the Cmdr Box in his section of the Squad Record is checked. German com-manders are referred to as officers or NCO s on their cards. A soldier with a Command Radius can help other soldiers stay in command, give other soldiers Turns, and make other soldiers aware (6/3).

2/11 Terms Used During Play The following terms are used constantly during the rules

and paragraphs:

Active. A soldier is active unless he is incapacitated, killed, or captured. A vehicle is active unless it is disabled. Only active soldiers can engage in combat and movement (although you can move captives). Only active vehicles can move and fire, although a tank can be immobilized without becoming inac-tive.

Inactive. A captured, killed, or incapacitated soldier is inac-tive. An inactive soldier cannot be fired upon or attacked by assault; he is an ineligible target. Inactive soldiers cannot per-form any actions for the duration of the mission (although a captive can escape and become active again). An inactive sol-dier can be run over by a vehicle. A vehicle is active until it is disabled. A disabled vehicle cannot move; additionally, a disa-bled tank cannot fire.

Target. A target is an active soldier or vehicle. An inactive soldier or vehicle cannot be the target of fire or assault combat. For example, if a hex contains an active and an inactive enemy soldier, you can fire at the active soldier because he is a target, but not at the inactive soldier. When using aimed automatic weapon fire, only active targets in a hex can be hit and increase the Hit Chance (13/6); inactive soldiers in the same hex have no effect.

Success/Failure. An Activation Check, Perception Check, or combat resolution can be either successful or a failure. Such a check or resolution can be harmful to your soldiers and still be termed a success. In most cases, a die roll of 0 is always suc-cessful, while a die roll of 9 is always a failure, regardless of modifiers.

US 01/J US Runner

IN: 3. PC: 2. WS: -1. MPA: 3. DS: 2.

Port Semi-Auto Rifle

Ammo SAR SAR

NOTES: In Mission 2 only, if runner enters hex with an active US commander, see 178.


{squad record example here}

37 48

x 13 x 8

Submachine gun Semi-Auto Rifle

4 7 +1 6 4 3 6 0 4 4

3 5 0 2 4 2 3 +1 4 4

2 4 -1 2 4 2 3 0 4 4

1 2 +1 0 3 1 1 -1 4 3

5 3

3 3

1 1

Submachine gun Semi-Auto Rifle

Semi-Auto Rifle Semi-Auto Rifle

Semi-Auto Rifle Automatic Rifle Automatic Rifle

SMG SMG SMG SMG G G SAR SAR SAR G G

SMG SMG SMG SMG G G SAR SAR SAR G

SAR SAR SAR G SAR SAR SAR G

SAR SAR SAR G G AR AR AR AR AR G


3. Course of Play

3/1 General Course of Play Ambush! is an unusual game because it is played solitaire

and, unlike other wargames, has no Game-Turns or Sequence of Play. Although not overly complex, Ambush! uses a unique game system that may throw you at first. The system is divided into two parts called Operations and Action Rounds (or simp-ly, Rounds), which toggle back and forth depending on wheth-er or not there are active Germans on the map. When no Ger-mans are present, you are in Operations. While in Operations, you can perform any of the Actions listed in 5/3, in any order you choose, one after the other, without keeping track of Turns, Movement Points, or anything else.

When the movement of one of your soldiers or a Random Event triggers the Activation of a German soldier or vehicle, then operations cease and you immediately begin Action Rounds (6/1). Action Rounds are used to divide time into seg-ments, so that movement and combat can be rendered in detail. During Action Rounds, your soldiers and the Germans can perform the Actions listed in 6/7. If, at the conclusion of an Action Round, there are no active Germans on the map, Opera-tions resume. The game can switch back and forth between Operations and Rounds any number of times during a mission.

3/2 Play Outline The following outline is a brief summary of the steps in-

volved in playing an entire game of Ambush!

Starting a Mission. Pick a mission and read the mission brief-ing. If this is your first mission, locate the Mission Cards marked Mission 1. Otherwise, locate the Mission Cards for the mission of your choice. We recommend that you play the mis-sions in numerical order. Place the Mission Card marked Con-dition 1 in the view sleeve so that the Condition 1 side can be read through the slots. Record the Activation Levels for each Condition on the Condition section of the Squad Record using the values assigned in the mission briefing. Then assemble your squad using the procedure in Squad Generation (4), or use the pre-generated squad in this booklet. Locate your soldier counters and an Action Round marker for each that lists that soldier s Initiative Rating. Place each soldier s AR marker on the Unaware space of the Action Round Track in the column corresponding to his Initiative. Find the German Action Num-ber marker and place it on the German Action Number Track (on any space). You are now ready to begin the mission.

Commence Operations. Enter your soldiers, one or more at a time, onto the map as instructed in the mission briefing. Each

time a soldier or group enters a hex that does not contain an Event marker, make a paragraph Check (5/1) by looking up that hex on the view sleeve. If there is a paragraph number printed in black, look it up in the Paragraph Booklet and read it. If the result is an Event, make an Event Check (5/6). If the result is None, continue Operations. If the hex contains an Event marker, no Paragraph Check is made. Continue moving soldiers/groups in any order and direction you choose, making Paragraph Checks for each hex that contains no Event marker. In addition to moving, you can perform any of the other Ac-tions listed in paragraph 5/3. Note that no combat occurs dur-ing Operations, although random artillery strikes or German sniper attacks can occur during some missions. At some point, a German soldier or vehicle will be activated by a Paragraph Check or Random Event, at which time Action Rounds com-mence (6/2).

Commence Rounds. When a German soldier or vehicle is activated, Rounds begin. First the German soldier or vehicle card is located and its counter placed on the map. Then its AR marker is placed on the Action Round Track in the Complete Space. Then the first Round is begun using the Action Se-quence (6/1). During Rounds, your active soldiers can perform any of the Actions listed in paragraph 6/7 as you see fit. This includes combat, movement, and other more specialized Ac-tions. The Germans also perform similar Actions as directed by their paragraphs. Rounds continue until the last German vehicle or soldier is killed, incapacitated, captured, or leaves the map. Then Operations resume as above.

Missions Ends. Each mission ends in a different way, as de-scribed in the mission briefing. Victory is determined at the end of the mission by totaling the number of Victory Points you gained during the course of the game (as recorded on your Squad Record) and subtracting from this total the number of Victory Points you lost. If the resulting total is equal to or greater than the number listed for Victory in the mission brief-ing, you have won. If it is less, you have lost.

Campaign Update. If you are not playing the game as a con-tinuous campaign, skip this step. Otherwise, perform the fol-lowing steps to prepare your squad for the next mission, as described in Campaign (16). Each surviving squad member, including incapacitated members, gains Combat Points. Then, at your option, you can spend each soldier s Combat Points to increase his Ratings. Finally, generate replacement soldiers to take the place of those killed during the mission.

4. Squad Generation To generate your own squad, you will need a Squad Rec-

ord and a piece of scrap paper to keep track of Squad and Weapon Points as you spend them. The following procedure is used only to generate an entire squad. If you are playing the game as a campaign, use the procedure in Campaign (16) to generate replacement soldiers.

1. Read Mission Briefing Some missions list equipment you receive without cost and/or limits on equipment purchases. Knowing your mission will also help you to make decisions during Squad Generation.

2. Roll Once on the Squad Quality Table Roll one die and record the Squad Points result in the Squad Points space on your Squad Record.

3. Roll Once on the Weapon Quality Table Roll one die and add to it your Squad Quality Table die roll.

Record your Weapon Points result in the Weapon Points space on your Squad Record.

4. Buy Your Soldiers Using the Squad Member Cost Chart

Spend your Squad Points to buy soldiers for your squad. The cost of each soldier depends on his Initiative Rating and whether or not he is a commander. Record each soldier s cost on the Squad Record. Any Squad Points you do not spend are lost. When you have made your purchases, record the Initiative Ratings of each soldier in his IN space. If a soldier is a com-mander, check his Cmdr Box. Record the ratings in descending order; soldier A should be the commander with the highest IN, while soldier H should be the soldier with the lowest IN. Give each soldier a name and record it in the space next to his iden-tification letter.


5. Roll on the Perception Table Once per Soldier Roll one die and cross-reference the result with the soldier s Initiative Rating to determine his Perception. Record the Rat-ing in that soldier s PC space on the Squad Record. Roll sepa-rately for each soldier.

6. Roll on the Weapon Skill Table Once per Soldier Roll one die and add the soldier s Initiative Rating to the re-sult. Locate the result on the Weapon Skill Table. Record the Rating result in that soldier s WS space on the Squad Record. Roll separately for each soldier.

7. Roll on the Driving Skill Table Once per Soldier Roll one die and add the soldier s Initiative Rating to the re-sult. Locate the result on the Driving Skill Table. Record the Rating result in that soldier s DS space on the Squad Record. Roll separately for each soldier.

8. Use Movement Point Allowance Chart Once per Soldier

Use the soldier s Initiative Rating to determine his Movement Point Allowance. Record the result in that soldier s Movement Point Allowance space on the Squad Record.

9. Buy Your Weapons Using the Equipment Cost Chart Spend your Weapon Points to buy weapons for your squad, subject to the restrictions of your mission. Each weapon has a cost in Weapon Points and comes with one free ammo clip when bought.

Each weapon, except a pistol, takes up 1, 2, or 3 Port Box-es for the soldier who carries it. A weapon is carried by writing its name in one of the soldier s Port Boxes. If a weapon re-quires more than one box, write its name in each box. A sol-dier can never carry more than two Port Boxes worth of weap-ons. In the case of a three-Port Box weapon, such as a medium machinegun, one soldier must carry two of the three boxes and another soldier must carry one.

Each ammo clip, bazooka round, grenade, and pistol takes up one Ammo Box. Record each clip or round with an abbre-viation of your choice in the Ammo Boxes. For example, P may indicate pistol ammo, while G may indicate a grenade. A soldier can never carry more than six Ammo Boxes worth of pistols and ammo. You can buy additional ammo for the costs listed. For one Weapon Point, you get three grenades, which may be divided among up to three soldiers. You receive five ammo clips for one weapon Point. These clips can be for any types of weapon except bazookas. Ammunition types are not compatible/interchangeable with each other; you must buy ammo specifically for each weapon type. For example, you could spend one Weapon Point and receive two pistol clips, a sub machinegun clip, and two semiautomatic rifle clips to di-vide among your soldiers as you see fit. Bazooka rounds cost one Weapon Point each.

After you have bought your equipment and ammo, record your purchases on the Squad Record along with the weapons you receive in the mission briefing, if any.

5. Operations As long as there are no active Germans on the map, you

are in Operations, and the passage of time does not affect the mission. During Operations, you can move your soldiers indi-vidually or as groups in any directions that you choose one hex at a time. There are no Movement Point costs involved, since movement is always one hex at a time. Soldiers can also con-duct any of the actions listed in 5/3 any number of times and in any order you choose while in Operations.

5/1 Paragraph Checks When a soldier/stack enters a hex, make a Paragraph

Check by cross-referencing the letter and number codes for that hex on the view sleeve. If the slot reveals the word None, there is no effect; continue Operations. If there is a

three-digit paragraph number printed in black, look it up in the Paragraph Book and do as it instructs. If a black paragraph reference is preceded by a sighting reference (sl, s2, etc.), it indicates that the paragraph is looked up only if the sighting of that number has not occurred (5/4). If it has occurred, ignore the paragraph and return to Operations. Ignore paragraph and hex numbers printed in red (these are used only during Rounds).

Each paragraph you are directed to read includes a state-ment or series of statements that you then carry out. Some par-agraphs describe an occurrence in a straightforward manner.

EXAMPLE: One paragraph says Soldier notices fresh tire tracks on dirt road, heading toward hex J-14. If you were directed to this paragraph, you would simply make a mental note of the information therein and carry on.

Most paragraphs, however, are a series of conditional statements in which you must roll a die, make a choice, or re-fer to the map in order to determine which part of the statement actually applies to your situation. Many paragraphs include

choose the one statement that applies. If the options are num-bered (1, 2, etc.), choose the first one that applies.

If a group of soldiers enters the same hex, only one Para-graph Check is made. Any Perception Checks required by the paragraph are made by the soldier with the highest PC only. This is true whenever more than one US soldier occupies a hex and a Paragraph or PC Check is required.

Paragraph Checks are made during Rounds in this same manner. The only difference is that Event Checks are not per-formed during Rounds; another procedure is used to generate Events during Rounds.

5/2 Soldier Stances Regardless of whether you are in Operations or Action

Rounds, a soldier can be in only one of three stances: standing, crouching, or prone. When in Operations, you can change a soldier s stance at any time you choose after conducting any necessary Paragraph Check for the soldier. Place-a Prone marker on a prone solider; otherwise, use the standing or crouching side of the soldier s counter to indicate his current stance.

Stance is very important to movement (7), combat (9, 10, 11), and line of sight (8).

5/3 Actions During Operations Any of your active soldiers can perform any of the follow-

ing actions any number of times in any order you wish during Operations.

Movement. A soldier can move from one hex to an adjacent hex if he is crouching or standing. Crouching soldiers are con-sidered crawling when they move, while standing soldiers are considered running as fast as the terrain allows. Prone soldiers cannot move at all. Each time a soldier enters a hex, a Para-graph Check is conducted unless the hex contains an Event marker. A Paragraph Check is made even if the hex contains other soldiers or has already been entered by a US soldier. If you have already read the paragraph and know what it says, it may be possible to forego looking it up a second time. Any number of soldiers in the same hex in the same stance can


move into an adjacent hex together. Each time a group move is performed, only one Paragraph Check is conducted. Any num-ber of soldiers and any amount of equipment can occupy a hex simultaneously (however, vehicles are an exception).

Stance Change. A soldier can change his stance. If a soldier moves into a hex, he cannot change his stance until after any required Paragraph Check is completed.

Pick Up/Exchange Equipment. A soldier that is crouching or standing can pick up or put down any portable items in his hex. If two or more soldiers are in the same hex, they can exchange any portable items in this manner. A soldier that is taking equipment from an inactive soldier must be crouching.

Drag Inactive Soldier. A standing soldier that has an empty Port Box and is in the same hex with an inactive soldier can drag him to an adjacent hex. If the inactive soldier is incapaci-tated, roll a die for each hex he is dragged; on a result of zero, he dies. A soldier can cease dragging an inactive soldier in-stantly at any time. Only inactive soldiers may be dragged, not unaware or wounded ones.

Prepare Weapon. A standing or crouching soldier can prepare a weapon that requires preparation before it can be fired. A machinegun that is prepared remains prepared until it is moved. A prepared bazooka or satchel charge remains pre-pared until fired or thrown, respectively. Personal weapons need not be prepared to fire.

Clear Jammed Weapon. A standing or crouching soldier can attempt to clear a jammed weapon by rolling one die and refer-ring to the Clear Jammed Weapon Table. On a result of B, the weapon breaks; on any other result, the weapon is cleared.

Move Captured German. A captured German can be moved during Operations but only by a US soldier occupying the same hex (11/2).

5/4 Sightings During Operations, a Paragraph Check may yield a black

three-digit paragraph number preceded by a sighting reference (sl, s2, etc.). Generally, each German soldier and vehicle in a mission is assigned a sighting number. In addition, some mis-sions have other types of sightings, such as buildings, lost equipment, German soldiers in a group, and so forth. A mis-sion can have up to 10 sightings, which you keep track of on the Sighting Boxes of the Squad Record. When you read a paragraph with a sighting number and the sighting occurs, rec-ord its occurrence by checking off its sighting number on the Squad Record. Thereafter, when a Paragraph Check reveals a sighting reference to that sighting, do not look it up in the Par-agraph Booklet, since it has already occurred.

A sighting reference on a Mission Card only indicates that the sighting may occur. Do not mark the sighting off on your Squad Record until it does occur. A sighting occurs only when you read a paragraph preceded by a Sighting Reference.

SIGHTING OCCURRENCE EXAMPLE

019. [s2] A flare explodes overhead.

The exploding flare is Sighting Number 2. Check off the 2 space on the Sighting Track of the Squad Record. Any subsequent paragraph references preceded by s2 are disregarded and not read. This in-cludes s2 references on the Event Check section of the Mission Cards.

5/5 Conditions The narrative of the mission is directed by changing the

Mission Cards in the view sleeve; these changes are called Condition changes. The events that may occur and the reac-tions of the Germans depend on the Condition in progress. All missions begin in Condition 1 that is, with the Condition 1 side of the first Mission Card visible through the view sleeve.

During the course of play, paragraphs and/or events may in-struct you to change the Condition. When the change occurs, change the Mission Card to display the new Condition, and check off the Condition in progress on the Condition Track of the Squad Record. Finally, remove all Event markers from the map. Conditions always change from a lower number to a higher number, and may sometimes skip numbers. Conditions that are skipped never occur (ignore any reference to them).

When the Condition changes, pause and make Paragraph Checks for each hex occupied by active US soldiers. Make the check in hex number order, lowest number first. Ignore any Event Checks, and simply place Event markers in hexes that required the Event Checks. Make any Paragraph Checks re-quired and follow their instructions. If a check causes a Ger-man to be activated, immediately commence Rounds (do not check other hexes occupied by US soldiers). If you check all hexes occupied by US soldiers and no Germans are activated, return to Operations. If a Condition change occurs during Rounds, use the procedure in 6/11, rather than the preceding.

CONDITION CHANGE EXAMPLE

323. Overhead, a P-51 fighter engages an Me-109 in a dogfight and shoots the German plane down. Go to Condition 6.

After completing the instructions called for in the paragraph (in this case, none), replace the current Mission Card with the Condi-tion 6 side of the Mission Card. Then check off the 6 Box on the Condition Track on your Squad Record as a reminder of which Condition is in progress and which ones, if any, have been skipped. Make a mental note of the Activation Level for the Condition. Then make Paragraph Checks for each hex occupied by an active US soldier (in hex number order), ignoring Event Checks and placing Event markers instead. Complete any instructions called for in the paragraphs, then resume Operations or Rounds, whichever is in progress.

Some paragraphs require a previous sighting in order to be read. If the listed sighting has not occurred, then the paragraph reference is ignored. If the sighting has occurred, then the par-agraph is read and its instructions are followed.

PREVIOUS SIGHTING REQUIRED EXAMPLE

252. s2 required. See 121. Otherwise, no event.

If Sighting Number2 has occurred, read paragraph 121. If it has not occurred, nothing happens; return to Operations (or Rounds, if Rounds are in progress). In some paragraphs, you are told to do one thing if a specific sighting has occurred, and another thing if that sighting has not occurred. In other paragraphs, a previous sighting requirement is combined with a sighting occurrence so that a sighting occurs only if another sighting has already occurred.

5/6 Event Checks Unique occurrences are triggered at random during play

by making Event Checks. When a Paragraph Check yields an Event result, roll two dice and check the Mission Card again by lining up the RE (Random Event) column with the dice result. The corresponding slot will show None (indicating that no Event occurs), or a paragraph number, sometimes pre-ceded by a sighting reference. After reading the paragraph and completing the instructions, place an Event marker in the hex where the Check was triggered. This marker indicates that no additional paragraph or Event Checks are made when a soldier enters that hex. All Event markers are removed from the map when the Condition changes. Some Events will have a sighting reference preceding them. If the listed sighting has occurred, do not look up the paragraph.

5/7 Perception Checks A Paragraph Check may require a soldier to make a Per-

ception (PC) Check, which represents a chance for that soldier to notice something, usually important to the mission or to his own health. To make a Perception Check, roll one die; if the result is equal to or less than the soldier s Perception, the PC


Check succeeds; if the result is greater, it fails. Depending on the paragraph, success or failure of a PC Check may direct you to another paragraph. The soldier s PC may be modified if the paragraph triggering the check has a modifier listed. A positive modifier increases the soldier s PC Rating, thus making the PC Check easier to conduct successfully. A negative modifier re-duces the soldier s PC Rating, thus making the PC Check more difficult to conduct successfully. Regardless of modifiers, a die roll of 0 is always successful, and a roll of 9 is always a fail-ure.

Certain paragraphs allow soldiers that can see a specific hex to conduct a PC Check, regardless of which soldier trig-gers the paragraph. Unless a paragraph specifically allows all eligible soldiers to conduct PC Checks, only one soldier occu-pying the hex can make the check. If the hex contains more than one soldier, use the soldier with the highest PC Rating.

Some PC Checks occur only once and will require that you place an Event marker in the hex if your soldier fails the check. No Paragraph Checks are made for that hex for the du-ration of the Condition; thus, no more PC Checks can be made from that hex.

Besides PC Checks triggered by paragraphs, PC Checks can also be triggered by boobytraps (12/1), minefields (12/2), a grenade toss (10/2), and US Awareness Checks during Action Rounds (6/5).

PERCEPTION CHECK EXAMPLE

288. Conduct PC Check (-2):

If successful, see 325. If fails, see 180.

The soldier who entered the hex conducts a PC Check. His PC is reduced by two for purposes of this check (only). Roll one die; if the result is equal to or less than his modified PC then the PC Check is successful and paragraph 325 is read. If greater than his PC, read paragraph 180.

5/8 Activation Checks Germans enter play in one of two ways, as a result of ei-

ther an Event or Activation Check. Activation Checks are

made when called for by a paragraph by rolling a die and com-paring it with the Activation Level for the Condition in pro-gress (recorded on the Condition section of the Squad Record). If the result is equal to or less than the current Activation Lev-el, the German is activated and Action Rounds begin; if greater than the Activation Level, the German is not activated.

Some Activation Checks include a modifier that is applied to the Activation Level. A positive modifier makes the Activa-tion Check easier to conduct successfully, while a negative modifier makes it more difficult. A roll of 0 is always a suc-cessful activation, and a roll of 9 is always a failure, regardless of modifiers. If the check is triggered by a group of US sol-diers, only one check is made. When a German is activated, place the German and commence Rounds (6/2).

ACTIVATION CHECK EXAMPLE

136. Conduct Activation Check (-1): If successful, see 154. If fails, conduct PC Check. If successful, see 165.

An Activation Check is made using the current Activation Level re-duced by 1. If the die roll result is equal to or less than the Activation Level, then the check succeeds and you read paragraph 154: if the result is higher the check fails. If the check fails the soldier then makes a PC Check, which, if successful, leads to the reading of para-graph 165. If the PC Check fails there is no effect; return to Opera-tions.

5/9 Random Determination Many paragraphs and game procedures will require you to

i-ble choices an equal die roll range and roll a die.

RANDOM DETERMINATION EXAMPLE

018. One German weapon fired in the previous Round is out of ammo. If more than one German weapon was fired last Round, determine which one is out of ammo at random.

If three Germans had fired in the previous Round, German A could be assigned 0, 1, and 2; German B 3, 4, and 5; and German C 6, 7, and 8. One die roll would then determine which German is out of ammo. If a 9 were rolled in this case, roll again.

6. Action Rounds As you conduct Operations and consult paragraphs, you

will at some point read a paragraph that instructs you to acti-vate Germans and commence Rounds. Play immediately switches to Action Rounds upon reading any such paragraph. If such a paragraph is read when Rounds are already under-way, see the procedure in 6/6 to activate the new German. You then conduct Action Rounds until there are no active German soldiers or vehicles on the map, at which point Operations re-sume. As US soldiers move during Rounds, make Paragraph Checks for each hex entered. If a paragraph check calls for an Event Check, ignore it, but still place an Event Marker in the hex, since Event Checks occur in a different way during rounds.

6/1 Action Sequence An Action Round is conducted in accordance with the Ac-

tion Sequence. However, when Action Rounds are initiated, special procedures must be conducted to activate the Germans. The activation paragraph will call for a specific German; find his card and place the activated German on the map and his AR marker on the Action Round Track (6/2). Furthermore, during the first two Rounds following initiation of Rounds, special checks must be made to see how quickly each of your soldiers becomes aware of the situation at hand.

The following sequence is conducted once per Round. At its conclusion, the Round is over. If there are still active Ger-

mans on the map, another Round begins. If a German is acti-vated in the course of performing any of the following steps, immediately perform the procedures described in 6/6.

1. US AWARENESS PHASE (Rounds 1 and 2 only) During this step of the first and second Rounds, each ac-

tive US soldier, on or off the map, must make a PC Check to determine whether he becomes aware (6/5). During the first Round, only those soldiers that can see the activated German make PC Checks. During the second Round, all unaware US soldiers, regardless of location, make a PC Check. The AR markers for aware soldiers are placed in the Aware space on the Action Round Track. All active US soldiers become auto-matically aware at the start of Round three.

2. EVENT PHASE (Not conducted in Round 1) Conduct one Event Check by rolling two dice and adding

the two results together. Locate the sum on the Event column of the Mission Card. This Event Check is resolved in the same way as an Event Check during Operations (5/6); read the para-graph indicated on the Mission Card unless it is preceded by a sighting reference for a sighting that has already occurred. Ex-ception: No Event Check is made during the first Round.

3. ACTION PHASE Initiative Determination. Determine which side has the ad-vantage by rolling two dice and reading one as the German result and one as the US result. The side with the higher result


has the advantage for this Round. If the results are equal, ad-vantage goes to the Germans. Exception: The paragraph that activates the Germans and initiates Rounds may state that one side or the other has the advantage in the first Round. Ad-vantage is thus predetermined by the paragraph, although you still roll for initiative in order to place your AR markers on the correct Turns.

AR Marker Placement. Use the initiative die results to deter-mine which space each AR marker will occupy on the AR Track. Locate each side s die roll result on the AR Track in each AR marker s column. Move the AR markers to the spaces containing their side s die roll result. In the one and two Turn spaces, place the markers in the advantage and disadvantage halves according to which side has the advantage for the Round. The location of the initiative die roll result has the fol-lowing effects:

2 Turns. If the initiative die result is in the 2-Turn space, the soldier receives two turns in this Round. Place his marker in the advantage or disadvantage half, as appropriate. Excep-tion: A wounded soldier can receive only one turn; if a wound-ed soldier receives two turns, place his marker in the 1-Turn space instead.

1 Turn. The soldier receives one turn this Round. Place his AR marker in the advantage or disadvantage half, as ap-propriate.

Panic. The soldier panics this Round, regardless of whether he is in or out of command (6/4). A German soldier can panic in this way (and also as a result of combat), and cer-tain German action paragraphs also simulate panic effects.

Red Number (applies only to US soldiers). If a die result is printed in red and the soldier is out of command (6/3), he panics instead of receiving turns this Round. Place his AR marker in the Panic space. If he is in command, place his AR marker in the space containing the red number. Panic caused by a red number on the action table is unconditional. It applies even if there is no real reason for panic, e.g. the soldier is far out of sight of any enemy.

AR markers for soldiers on opposing sides can never oc-cupy the same advantage or disadvantage space. Opposing markers can occupy the same Turn space, however. Certain paragraphs that activate Germans and initiate Rounds indicate that all aware soldiers on one side or the other automatically receive two turns in the first Round. If the number of turns is specified, then the procedure above is not conducted in the first Round. For example, one paragraph indicates that the Germans receive advantage and two turns; thus, you need not roll for German AR marker placement, since they will be placed in the 2-Turn advantage space.

Important: If a soldier is wounded or panics during a Round, his AR marker is immediately moved to the Complete space, if not already there. If a soldier becomes panicked as a result of combat, move his AR marker to the Panic space (un-less it already occupies the Panic or Complete space). If a sol-dier becomes incapacitated, killed, or captured during a Round, his AR marker is immediately moved to the Inactive space.

Perform All Soldier Actions. The position of the AR markers on the AR Track indicate the order in which US and German soldiers perform actions. Soldiers in the 2-Turn advantage space go first; then those in the 2-Turn disadvantage space; and so forth. If more than one US soldier occupies a space, you can have them go in any order you wish. At the beginning of each turn in which one or more Germans can act, roll one die to obtain a new German Action Number (6/8). Germans able to act in the same turn go in the order of the letters on their AR markers. Exception: Firing a crew weapon, 9/7.

4. BEGIN A NEW ROUND (if there is an active Ger-man on the map) If there are still one or more active Germans on the map,

begin a new Round. If there are no active Germans on the map, return to Operations.

6/2 Activating German Soldiers Action Rounds begin when, during Operations, a para-

graph states that a German is activated (see also 5/8). Each activated German will be identified by a number. Locate the German soldier cards with the same identity number and place them in front of you. Next to the identity number on each card is an identity letter for the soldier. This letter is used to identify the soldier when actually on the map. Locate the soldier mark-er with the matching letter and place it in the hex on the map listed in the paragraph. Locate the Action Round marker with the matching letter that shows the Initiative matching that listed on the soldier card and place it in the complete space on the Action Round Track.

Should a German activation occur during a Round that is already in progress, use the procedure in 6/6. Should activation occur when there are US soldiers who have not yet entered the map, use the procedure in 6/10.

GERMAN ACTIVATION PARAGRAPH EXAMPLE

164. [s3] Light machinegun opens fire. Activate Germans 5 and 49 in hex N12, crouching. Commence Rounds. German advantage. Germans 5 and 49 receive two turns this Round.

Upon reading this paragraph, check off sighting s3 on the Squad Record and locate German soldier cards 5 and 49. Cards 5 and 49 indicate that Germans M and T will be placed on the map, respective-ly. These two markers are placed in hex N12, crouching side up. Since German 49 has a light machinegun, place a light machinegun marker in the hex, prepared side up. Locate the AR marker showing an IN of 3 for soldier M, and the AR marker showing an IN of 2 for soldier T, and place both markers in the Complete space of the AR Track in the initiative 2 and 3 columns.

6/3 Command and Commanders Command. When a US soldier s initiative die result is printed in red, it means that the soldier has a chance of panicking, if he is out of command. To determine if a soldier is in command, add his IN to the IN ratings of all other active US soldiers in his hex. If this sum is five or more, the soldier is in command. If the total is less than five, he is out of command and liable to panic. Being in or out of command only affects the chance of a soldier panicking during AR marker placement. It has no effect on a soldier panicking as a result of combat. German soldiers panic only when their initiative die roll result is actually print-ed in the Panic space (initiative columns 0 and 1 only), never as a result of their roll being printed in red.

US Commanders and Panic. A US soldier can be either a commander or a private. A commander has a Command Radi-us consisting of the hex he occupies and all the hexes within two hexes of the hex he occupies. A commander exerts his IN rating into all these hexes, as long as he is active, and it is add-ed to the IN s of US soldiers occupying those hexes. For ex-ample, a commander with an IN of 4 exerts four Initiative Points into all hexes within two hexes of the hex he occupies. Any US soldiers (including another commander) in any of those hexes can use those four points toward keeping himself in command. The effects of Command Radii are reciprocal; that is, a commander can use the Initiative Ratings of soldiers within his command radius to contribute toward keeping him-self in command. A commander who is panicked or inactive has no Command Radius.

Commanders Giving Turns. While performing Actions dur-ing Action Rounds, a commander, both US and German, can give a Turn to another friendly soldier in his Command Radius (even to another commander). When it is the commander s


turn to perform actions, he can give his Turn to another soldier instead of performing an action himself. The commander s AR marker is moved down to the 1-Turn or Complete Box as if he had performed an action, and the AR marker for the soldier to whom he gave the Turn is moved up one Turn. This will alter the Turn order, thus giving the soldier to whom the turn was given an opportunity to perform an action earlier than he would have if the commander had not given him an extra turn. Only soldiers occupying the 1-Turn or Complete space can be given a Turn; those in the 2-Turn, Panic, Unaware, or Inactive spaces cannot be given a turn. A German commander will only give a turn to another German when one of his action para-graphs explicitly states he is to do so. A wounded soldier can never be given a turn in this way.

Commanders and US Awareness. A commander can spend a turn to make an unaware US soldier within his Command Ra-dius aware. The newly aware soldier s AR marker is then placed in the complete space. A wounded soldier can never be made aware in this manner.

COMMANDER FUNCTIONS

A is a commander with an IN of 3. The other soldiers in the dia-gram are privates with IN S of 1 (B), 2 (C), 1 (D), and 2 (E).Soldiers D and E are in command, because they are within two hexes of commander A. A, D, and E combine their IN S for a total of 6, which is sufficient to keep each of them in command. C is also in command, because his IN is combined with A s for a total of 5. B is out of command, because he is three hexes from A, and his IN is less than 5. During Rounds, commander A can give turns to C, D, and E ,but not to B. If C and E were in B s hex, all three would be in command, because their combined IN would be 5.

6/4 Panic During the Action Sequence, a German or US soldier is

subject to panic if his initiative die roll is printed in the Panic space in his column of the AR Track. For example, a soldier with an IN of 1 panics on a die roll of 1.

If a US soldier is out of command, and the die roll yields a result that is printed in red, the soldier panics. Place his AR marker in the Panic space. If the soldier is in command, he does not panic and receives the indicated number of turns. For example, a US soldier with an IN of 3 who is out of command panics on a roll of 6, 7, or 9.

A panicked soldier remains immobile until the end of the Round, at which time he must fall prone (if not already prone) and his AR marker is placed in the Complete space. A pan-

icked soldier can be attacked and, if hit, is subject to all the effects of damage. For the additional effects of panic, see 13/1.

6/5 US Soldier Awareness When Action Rounds are initiated you must determine

which of your soldiers are immediately aware of the just acti-vated Germans and which are unaware. An aware US soldier can perform Actions during Rounds. An unaware US soldier cannot perform any actions during Rounds; he remains immo-bile until he becomes aware. Once a soldier becomes aware, he remains aware throughout Rounds until Rounds are initiated again, following a return to Operations. German soldiers do not check for awareness; once activated, they are automatically aware.

During the US Awareness Phase of the first Round, after the activated German is placed on the map, each active US soldier that can see the German just activated conducts a PC Check. Those that succeed at this check are aware during the first Round. Those soldiers that fail the check are not aware during the first Round. Place the AR marker of each aware soldier in the Complete space on the AR Track. Place the AR marker of each unaware soldier in the Unaware space of the AR Track.

During the US Awareness Phase of Round 2, each active US soldier on the map that is not yet aware conducts a PC Check. Those that succeed at this check are aware during the second Round. Those that fail are not aware during the second Round.

During Round 3 and after, all active US soldiers are auto-matically aware, regardless of their location. When Rounds end and you return to Operations, all US soldiers are again considered unaware and the preceding procedure is used when Rounds commence again.

If Rounds are in progress and a second German is activat-ed, he has no effect on the awareness of the US soldiers. You make no additional Awareness Checks due to the activation of an additional German.

An unaware soldier who is attacked is automatically aware after the combat is resolved. Place his marker in the Complete space, unless he is killed or incapacitated. Even an attempted attack (fire, grenade, assault) makes all US soldiers in the tar-get hex aware. A scattered grenade/ SC makes both the sol-diers in the original target hex and those in the scatter hex aware.

An aware commander can spend one of his Turns to make an unaware soldier within his Command Radius aware (6/3).

6/6 German Activation During Rounds During Action Rounds, there is the possibility that addi-

tional Germans may become activated. If activation occurs during a Round, use the following procedure. Interrupt what-ever is happening and place the newly activated German on the map in the stance indicated in the activation paragraph. Ignore those parts of the paragraph dealing with advantage and US awareness. If the paragraph states that the German receives two turns, place his AR marker in the 2-Turn space of the AR Track using the current German advantage/disadvantage result. If the activation paragraph did not specify that the German receives two turns, then roll a new German Action number and place the newly activated German s AR marker in the indicat-ed space (again, using the current advantage/disadvantage).

The newly activated German has no effect on US aware-ness (6/5). If all US soldiers are currently aware, they remain aware. If some are unaware, only the German that originally caused Rounds to commence affects their awareness.


If German activation occurs during the action of a US sol-dier (typically movement) that soldier may end his action be-fore any German takes an action.

6/7 Performing Actions During Rounds During the Action Phase of the Action Sequence, US and

German soldiers perform Actions. The order in which soldiers perform Actions is determined by the location of their AR markers on the Action Round Track (6/1). When one of your soldiers gets a turn, you can have him perform one Action or pass. When a soldier passes, simply move his AR marker as if he had performed an Action. All the different kinds of Actions a soldier can perform during Rounds are listed below.

Free Stance Change. An unwounded soldier can, at any point during his turn, make one free stance change; from prone to crouching or standing, from crouching to prone or standing, or from standing to prone or crouching. Wounded soldiers never receive a free stance change. A soldier without a free stance change must spend one Movement Point to change stance, and thus must perform a Movement Action. However, a free stance change can be combined with a movement action (in which case a Movement Point to change stance is only spent when you perform the second stance change). When a soldier enters a hex, a Paragraph Check is made before he can make the stance change (free or otherwise). In addition, there is a special free stance change associated with grenade PC Checks (10/2).

COMBAT RELATED ACTIONS

Aimed Fire Once with Personal Weapon. Soldier must be standing or crouching with a personal weapon or a prepared bazooka.

Snap Fire Twice with Personal Weapon. Soldier must be standing or crouching with a personal weapon. The target for each fire can be the same or different, and can occupy the same or different hexes. You cannot snap fire a bazooka.

Aimed Fire with Crew Weapon. Aimed fire with a crew weapon can only be made if the hex contains at least two crouching, active soldiers. Both soldiers simultaneously spend one turn performing this action. (9/7).

Snap Fire with Crew Weapon. Snap fire with a crew weapon can only be made if the hex contains at least one crouching, active soldier. If the hex contains two or more active soldiers, the weapon can be snap fired twice at a cost of one action for each of two soldiers. Thus, a crew weapon with two operators could make one aimed fire (see above) or two snap fires at a cost of two actions, one each per soldier. A crew weapon al-ways uses snap fire whenever it is fired by a single soldier. Snap fire greatly increases the chances of a crew weapon jam-ming (9/4).

Assault. Soldier must be standing in the hex with the enemy soldier (11).

Prepare Satchel Charge. Soldier must be crouching or stand-ing to prepare the satchel charge (10/4).

Throw Satchel Charge. Soldier must be standing to throw the satchel charge. It can be thrown one, two, or three hexes (10/1).

Prepare and Throw Grenade. Soldier must be standing or crouching with a grenade. If he is crouching, his range is re-duced (10/1). A soldier can never move and throw a grenade in the same Turn.

Prepare Bazooka. Soldier must be standing or crouching in hex with an unloaded bazooka and a charge (9/8).

Clear Jammed Weapon. Soldier must be standing or crouch-ing with a jammed weapon (9/4).

Remove Live Grenade from Hex. This special action is per-formed out of turn and only if the soldier is standing or crouch-ing and makes a PC Check (10/2). It may also involve a special free stance change.

Prepare Crew Weapon. One soldier in the same hex with all parts of the weapon must spend one action to prepare it for fire. It remains prepared until moved (9/7).

MOVEMENT RELATED ACTIONS

Move (expend some or all of soldier s Movement Point Allow-ance). A crouching soldier can move only one hex (by crawl-ing), which costs all his Movement Points. A standing soldier can move one or more hexes, depending on his Movement Point Allowance and the type of terrain in the hexes he enters.

Move Crew Weapon (expend some or all of two soldiers Movement Point Allowances). Crew weapons require three Port Boxes. To be moved, two soldiers in the same hex with the weapon must divide its Port Box cost between themselves. They can then move the item separately; however, they must both occupy the same hex to prepare the weapon.

Move/Snap Fire (expend up to half of soldier s Movement Point Allowance and snap fire personal weapon). A soldier can combine movement and fire combat by spending up to half his Movement Point Allowance (round fractions down) and snap firing his personal weapon (7/3). You can choose to move then fire, or to fire then move. You can split movement so that it occurs both before and after fire, if sufficient MPs are availa-ble.

Move/Charge Assault (expend up to half of soldier s Move-ment Point Allowance and charge assault). A soldier can com-bine movement and assault combat by spending up to half his Movement Point Allowance (round fractions down) and charge assaulting a soldier. Movement occurs before assault (11/3).

Drag Inactive Soldier One Hex (expend entire Movement Point Allowance). The soldier must be standing in the same hex as the inactive soldier to be moved, and must have one Port Box empty. The soldier then spends his entire Movement Point Allowance to drag the inactive soldier one hex. The dragging soldier must remain standing. If the inactive soldier is incapacitated, there is a chance he will be killed by the move-ment; roll a die; on a result of 0 he dies. Moving an incapaci-tated soldier by vehicle does not cause this die roll. Only inac-tive soldiers may be dragged, not unaware or wounded ones.

MISCELLANEOUS ACTIONS

Pick Up/Exchange Equipment. A soldier that is standing or crouching can pick up or put down any portable items in his hex. Two soldiers in the same hex can exchange equipment even though only one soldier performs the action. A soldier that is taking equipment from an inactive soldier must be crouching. Record equipment changes on the Squad Record in the appropriate Port Boxes for the soldiers involved. You can pick up and use most German equipment (14).

Load/Unload Inactive Soldier from Vehicle. Active soldier must be standing in same hex as inactive soldier and vehicle. If the inactive soldier is incapacitated, there is a chance he will be killed by the action (on a roll of 0).

Give Turn (Commanders only). A commander must be within two hexes of the soldier he wishes to give a turn to. The soldier that receives the turn must use it this Round (6/3). A US com-mander can also expend a turn to make an unaware US soldier within two hexes aware (6/5).

6/8 German Actions When a German soldier receives a turn during the Action

Sequence (6/1), you must have him perform an action. Howev-


er, the soldier s actions are not up to you; you must use the soldier s card, the paragraph booklet, and in some cases the Mission Card to determine what the soldier does.

German Action Number. At the beginning of each turn in which one or more German soldiers may act, roll one die and note the result on the German Action Track with the German Action marker. Use this Action Number when referring to the card for each German that is acting this turn. This Action Number remains in effect until the beginning of the next turn in which Germans may act. Exception: If a German Special Reaction comes into effect during a German turn, immediately roll a new Action Number. This new number applies to all Germans that have yet to act in the current turn. For example, three Germans occupy the 2-Turn advantage space. Roll one German Action number for the group, and then perform ac-tions for each in alphabetical order. If a Special Reaction is triggered for one of them, reroll the Action number. When a German is eligible to act, conduct the following steps:

1. Refer to the soldier s card. Cross-reference the current Ac-tion Number with the current Condition to obtain a German Action Paragraph number.

2. Read the indicated paragraph carefully. Many paragraphs include different options. If these options are separated by bul-lets ( ), consider the soldier s current situation and choose the one option that applies. If these options are numbered sequen-tially (1, 2, etc.), choose the first one that applies, even if later options also apply.

3. Carry out the applicable instructions of the paragraph. The soldier performs one Action from those listed in 6/7 (just like a US soldier). He also receives a free stance change if the para-graph so indicates, within the same restrictions applicable to US soldiers. In some cases, the instruction to make the free stance change is explicitly stated; in other cases it is implied. In some instances, the soldier may not be able to carry out all the instructions of a paragraph. If this is the case, have the sol-dier do as much as he can toward completion of the instruc-tions, in the order in which they are given. If unable to com-plete the first instruction, go to the second, and so forth.

Usually the paragraphs are to be taken literally; if a para-graph instructs a soldier to crouch and fire... he will crouch, even if that makes fire impossible because has no longer has an LOS to an enemy. Also, if a tank is not instructed to turn at the end of a move it will not do so even if it would be logical (e.g. to present better armor to the enemy) to do so. On the other hand, if instructed to fire it will do as much as it can even if actual fire is impossible (jammed gun or so) for example it will turn into a firing position if necessary.

Some paragraphs state that a German soldier shall move and ...if active enemy in sight, lie prone . If not specifically told to lie prone at the end of movement , he lies prone at end of movement or in the hex in which he gets LOS to a US sol-dier, whichever comes first.

A direction on a soldier card On first turn, use... applies to his first turn after activation only.

German Movement. When a German soldier is instructed to move, refer to the Mission Card to determine where he moves. Look up the hex the soldier currently occupies on the card and read the German Movement Reference listed in red in the win-dow. This reference will usually be the identity number of an adjacent hex into which you move the German. When moving, the German expends Movement Points in the same manner as a US soldier (7/3). If the German soldier has Movement Points remaining after entering this first hex, look up the hex he now occupies for another Movement Reference and continue mov-ing the German. Keep checking for Movement References in this manner until the German has expended his Movement

Point Allowance, at which time his turn ends. Certain German Movement References are paragraph numbers instead of hex numbers; look up the indicated paragraph to find how the German moves. A movement reference paragraph does not replace the German Action Paragraph that instructed the Ger-man to move. It simply defines a special move or situation within the overall move. An Exit German movement refer-ence indicates that the German leaves the map.

Special Reactions. Certain German action paragraphs and Movement Reference paragraphs call for a Special Reaction (identified by a letter) to be put into effect for the German you are moving. When a Special Reaction is in effect for a Ger-man, use the indicated Special Reaction column on his card instead of the current condition column. For example, if you read paragraph 254 when moving German 92, you would im-mediately begin using the T column of his card to determine his Action Paragraphs.

A Special Reaction is used only for the German that trig-gered it and remains in effect until another paragraph rescinds the Special Reaction. You may wish to note the Special Reac-tions currently in progress on the Notes section of the Squad Record as a reminder. As noted in German Action Number, above, whenever a Special Reaction comes into effect, a new German Action Number is rolled. If the German that triggered the Special Reaction has not finished his turn, use the Action paragraph indicated by the new Action number and the Special Reaction column to determine what he does for the rest of the turn. The self-preservation column often takes precedence over the Special Reaction column.

Self Preservation. Every German soldier card includes a self preservation column (marked S ) of Action Paragraph num-bers. This column is used instead of the current condition col-umn whenever the German is in a hex occupied or adjacent to an active US soldier, regardless of LOS. Use of the self preser-vation column may begin and stop any number of times for a given German soldier, depending on his proximity to US sol-diers. The self preservation column takes precedence over the normal condition column and over a Special Reaction column, unless specifically noted otherwise on the soldier s card or in a paragraph.

Use the following procedure to handle behavior of transported soldiers under self-preservation conditions:

Always stay on board a vehicle that is not immobilized.

The driver of a still-mobile vehicle never fires, but may possibly try to run enemies over

The passengers fire, if any part of their self-preservation instructions tell them to fire.

Surrender. Some paragraphs will indicate that a German im-mediately surrenders. If the paragraph is read when there is an active US soldier in the hex, then the German immediately falls prone and is captured (11/2). If not in the hex with a US soldier, the German becomes inactive; place his AR marker in the Inactive space. He remains in his current stance. When a US soldier enters his hex, he is captured.

6/9 German Action Paragraph Examples 800. Lie Prone.

The soldier falls prone, if not already prone. He does nothing else this turn.

802. Crouch, then conduct best fire at closest target. Fall prone after fire if free stance change available.

If not yet crouching, the soldier uses his free stance change to crouch. If, in a crouching position, the soldier can see no active US soldiers, his turn ends. Otherwise, he then conducts fire combat. He would normally conduct aimed fire, since this is the best fire possi-ble. If wounded he would conduct snap fire if required to make a stance change to crouching (the stance change for a wounded sol-

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Ambush Rules With Errata

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