SQUAD
INTRODUCTION
Card game. Simulates small unit tactics in World War II.
LOGISTICS
Use tokens to represent soldiers.
At least two six-sided dice are required.
A deck of cards unique to this game will have to be constructed by players.
SETUP
Each player starts with one squad of one of the five available nationalities.
American squads start with 10 men.
German, British, and Japanese squads start with 8 men.
Russian squads start with 12 men.
Opposing squads begin the game at long range from each other.
Players take turns. Roll high to determine who goes first.
Shuffle the deck. Players start with 5 cards each.
Each player may play one terrain card, if they have one in their hand.
ALL FIRE PHASES
Range in this game is the relative range between the two squads.
Play attack cards that correspond to the relative range between the squads.
For instance if you are at long range, you may attack with a mortar, but not a pistol.
Attack Cards are type (A) in the card list. Each attack lists what ranges it can be used at:
PB (Point Blank), S (Short), M (Medium), and L (Long)
Each attack card kills 1D6 - 1D6 enemy soldiers. (The attack roll)
Roll two dice, subtract the second from the first.
A result of zero or a negative number means there are no casualties.
The attack roll is modified by many cards, as expressed in the card list.
Terrain cards (T) add their cover rating to the attack roll total.
For example: A Hedge Row would reduce 5 kills to 3 kills.
Attack cards have built in modifiers: A pistol inflicts one less casualty at short range.
Japanese squads may make one PB attack at short range per turn.
If your attack causes casualties, you may play a Commander Killed card.
TURN SEQUENCE
1. Draw Phase
2. Morale Phase
3. Covering Fire Phase
4. Opportunity Fire Phase
5. Movement Phase
6. Position Fire Phase
7. Return Fire Phase
8. Discard Phase
DRAW PHASE
Draw two cards.
If you use up the deck, reshuffle and continue playing.
MORALE PHASE
Play Pin/Rally cards.
A Pin/Rally card can be used to produce one of the following effects:
1. Pin down: Play the card on opponents unpinned squad to pin them.
A pinned squad cannot move and its attack rolls are -1.
2. Discard the card: An opponents pinned squad routs.
A squad that routs loses 1D6 - 1D6 men. (Roll 1D6 and subtract 1D6)
3. Rally: Discard to remove a pin card from your squad.
4. Discard to gain back a routed soldier.
When a squad is pinned it is suffering from one or more of the following factors:
Exhaustion, fear, wounds, hesitation, confusion, refusal to follow orders, difficult terrain,
bad weather, shell shock, communication breakdowns, etc.
When troops are rallied this is due to a combination of:
Heroics, leadership, camaraderie, determination, aggression, fatalism, patriotism, etc.
COVERING FIRE PHASE
Declare whether or not your squad is going to attempt to move this turn.
If you are going to move your squad this turn you may first attack with covering fire.
(All attacks require the discard of 1+ Attack cards at the appropriate range.)
Your attacks are at -2, because you are moving and firing.
American squads only have a -1 penalty because they are well equipped with
semi-automatic M-1 rifles, and light BAR machine guns.
You may also play a smoke card.
If you play smoke your attacks are at an additional -2.
OPPORTUNITY FIRE PHASE
If you are moving this turn your opponent may attack in this phase.
Range is the same as last turn.
If you provided covering fire, your opponents attacks are at -1.
If you play smoke your opponents attacks are at an additional -2.
Your opponent may play an Ambush card to attack at +2.
If you take any casualties this phase, you may take the Point man option.
If you take the Point man option, you take only one casualty, and you
skip movement phase.
MOVEMENT PHASE
To move your squad, play a terrain card.
This replaces your old terrain card, which is discarded
You may also change the range by one step.
PB -- S -- M -- L
Changing the range is not required. The move may be lateral.
Instead of playing a terrain card you may discard any card to move into an open terrain.
Open terrain provides no cover modifier.
Your opponent may abort your move by playing a Blocking (B) card.
Minefields and Barbed Wire Card are (B) cards.
If a blocking card is played you must discard the new terrain card.
Your squad returns to the old terrain.
A minefield will kill 1D6 - 1D6+2 men.
If you are unblocked you may play a Mission Objective and/or Concealment card.
A Combat Engineer card will negate a (B) card, allowing the squad to move.
POSITION FIRE PHASE
You may attack.
Your attacks are at -1 if you moved this turn.
Heavy weapons like mortars and machine guns may not be used to attack if you moved this turn.
RETURN FIRE PHASE
Your opponent may attack.
DISCARD PHASE
If you did not move or attack this turn you may draw an extra card.
If you have more than 5 cards in your hand discard the extra cards.
Well trained German troops may keep 6 cards.
Poorly trained Russian units may only keep 4 cards.
CARD LIST ABBREVIATIONS
# = Number of this card in the deck.
M = Modifier Card
T = Terrain Card
A = Attack Card
B = Block Card
N = National Trait Card
CARD LIST
# Type Card Name Notes
20 M Pin/Rally Use in Morale Phase
1 T Pill Box Cover -3
2 T Line of Trees Cover -1
2 T Low Wall Cover -1
1 T Entrenchments Cover -3
2 T Building Cover -2
1 T Gulley Cover -3
1 T Wheat Field Cover -1
2 T Hedge Row Cover -2
1 T Fox Holes Cover -2
2 T Thick Woods Cover -2
2 T Rubble Cover -2
1 T Hill Cover -1/All your Attacks +1
1 A Knife PB/Kill one enemy maximum
1 A Entrenching Tool PB/Kill one enemy maximum
1 A Bayonet PB/Kill one enemy maximum
1 A Rifle Butt PB/Kill one enemy maximum
1 A Bare Hands PB/Kill one enemy maximum
1 A Garrote PB/Kill one enemy maximum
2 A Take Prisoners PB/ Play only if enemy squad is pinned
3 A Pistol PB/S-1
4 A Grenade S/Negates opponents terrain Cover modifier
2 A Flame Thrower S/Negates opponents terrain Cover modifier
4 A Sub-Machine Gun S+1/M-1
2 A Carbine S/M
4 A Bolt-action Rifle S/M/L
3 A Semi-Automatic Rifle S+1/M/L-1
2 A Sniper Attack L+1
2 A Mortar L+2/Cannot use this attack if you moved/Position Fire only
4 A Machine Gun M+2/L/Cannot use this attack if you moved/Position Fire only
1 A Radio Artillery L+3
10 N National Trait Effect varies according to squads nationality
2 M Encircled Cover +3/Attach to pinned opponents terrain
5 M Mission Objective Victory Requirement
5 M Smoke All Opportunity Fire attacks -1 this turn
5 M Concealment Cover -1/Attach to your Terrain
4 M Ambush Add +2 to all attack rolls in Opportunity Fire Phase this turn
3 M Enfilade Add +2 to all attacks made by Machine Guns this turn
4 M Flanking Fire Add +1 to all attacks this turn
2 B Minefield Block and Attack
2 B Barbed Wire Block
2 M Combat Engineer Negates a Block card
2 M Commander Killed Opponents Hand size -1; Can be played on opponents squad, once only
during game, immediately after an enemy soldier has been killed
VICTORY
There are two ways to win:
Kill or rout all members of your opponents squad.
Collect 3 Mission Objective Cards.
NATIONAL TRAIT CARDS
These can be used for different effects depending on the nationality of your squad.
Americans can use a national trait card to do one of the following:
1. Same as Radio Artillery card
2. American Ingenuity: Discard to draw 2 cards.
Germans can use a national trait card to do one of the following:
1. Tactics: Same as Flanking Fire card
2. Assault Rifle Attack: S+2/M/L-1
3. Professionalism: Rally
4. Intimidation: Pin
Russians can use a national trait card to do one of the following:
1. Machine Pistol Attack: PB/S/M-1
2. Reinforcements: Gain 1 man
3. Commissar: Rally
British can use a national trait card to do one of the following:
1. Sharp shooting: M+1/L+1
2. Stiff Upper Lip: Rally
3. British Intelligence: Look at next 4 cards in deck
Japanese can use a national trait card to do one of the following:
1. Same as Concealment card
2. Booby Traps: Minefield
3. Same as Ambush card
4. Bonsai Charge: PB+2
