Bitskrieg Rules

Bitskrieg

- Designed by Scott Muldoon and Miles Muldoon 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Components 3.0 Set-up 4.0 Taking Your Turn 5.0 Moving

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6.0 Firing 7.0 Flipping Finished Tanks 8.0 Rebuilds 9.0 Victory 10.0 Optional & Advanced Rules

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Scott & Miles Muldoon

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BITSKRIEG

1. INTRODUCTION Bitskrieg is a very simple tactical tank combat game for two players. After generating a random battlefield, each player will assemble a team of five Tanks and deploy two Flags. A player wins the game by Capturing both of her opponent's Flags, or by Destroying all five enemy Tanks.

2. COMPONENTS

Bitskrieg is played with a board, some counters, two sixsided dice, and these rules. The board is an 8 x 8 grid, much like a checkerboard. Some of the squares on the board have small dice symbols, which are used in placing Obstacles. Each player has twelve Tank counters, equally divided among four types. Light Tanks (LT) are the fastest, but have weak armor. Medium Tanks (MT) are good all-around, middle-ofthe-road Tanks with no real weaknesses or advantages. Heavy Tanks (HT) are slow, but well-armed and wellarmored. Tank Destroyers (TD) have a powerful gun, but lack turrets and have weak armor.

Each Player also has two Flag pieces, which the enemy attempts to capture, and a Rebuild piece, which is utilized to replace Destroyed Tanks up to two times during the course of a match.

Finally, there are six double-sided Obstacle pieces depicting three different types of Terrain. These Terrain types only have a specific effect when playing with the Advanced Terrain Rules. If this is your first game, or if you just want to keep it simple, treat all Obstacle pieces as generic Obstacles which block range counting and prohibit Movement.

3. SET-UP

Setting up the game involves the following Steps, performed in the following order. Each Tank has three ratings: Its Speed Rating indicates the number of squares it can enter in a given turn. Its Fire Rating depicts the number of dice (one or two) that it rolls when attempting to Destroy an enemy Tank. Its Armor Rating indicates the number the enemy must roll higher than to Destroy it.

Step 1: Create a Battlefield

Each of the six Obstacles are placed on the board one at a time. For each Obstacle, have one Player roll two dice one after the other. Then, find the square on the board that corresponds to that die roll. The first die rolled corresponds to the first die on the square, and the second die rolled to the second die. For example, if you roll a place the Obstacle in the

and then a space.

, you would

If a die roll for an Obstacle would cause it to be placed on top of another Obstacle, disregard and roll again, so that each of the six Obstacles are placed on a different square. The blue tank is facing left. The red tank is facing right.

A line indicates which direction the Tank is Facing, which has important effects on Movement and Combat. The front, full-color side of each Tank piece shows the Tank on its ready side. The reverse side of each Tank piece shows the Tank on its Finished side. This is indicated by a black-and-white (rather than full color) Tank icon. The Speed and Fire Ratings are missing from the Finished side, as a reminder that a Finished Tank cannot move or attack.

Step 2: Choose Your Tanks

From the twelve Tanks available to her, each Player secretly selects five Tanks, keeping her selection hidden from her opponent. Wait until both Players have made their selection before moving on to the next step.

Step 3: Deployment

One of the players will look at the board and choose an Axis - that is, two opposite edges of the board that will each serve as a Home Edge for one of the players. You can have the youngest player select the Axis, or you can have each player roll a die, with the highestrolling player choosing the Axis.

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After that choice is made, the other player gets to choose which of those two edges she wants for her Home Edge. This player is the First Player. She places each of her five Tanks in one of the squares on that Home Edge (squares without dice numbers). Each tank must occupy a different square, and can Face in any direction she chooses. Her opponent (the Second Player) then sets up her five Tanks in the same manner on squares in her own Home Edge (again, the edge opposite the First Player's).

Step 4: Flags

The First Player places her two Flags on the board. Each Flag must be placed in a different square containing dice symbols (no edge squares). Flags cannot be placed in a square containing an Obstacle. Further, a player's two Flags cannot be placed in the same row or column. After the First Player has placed her two Flags, the Second Player places her Flags in the same manner. Each Player takes her Rebuild piece and places it on the "2" space of their Rebuild Track on the board. Then, the First Player takes the first turn of the game.

4. TAKING YOUR TURN

You have four choices when you take your turn: Move with one of your ready Tanks. Fire with one of your ready Tanks. Flip all of your Finished Tanks to their ready side. Rebuild one of your Destroyed Tanks. Once you have resolved your choice, the other player takes her turn. Players alternate turns in this fashion until one player has won the game by either: Capturing both of the enemy Flags, OR Destroying all of the enemy Tanks.

5. MOVING

Tanks on the board are always Facing an adjacent square, as indicated by the line on the piece and the direction in which their gun is pointing. When a ready Tank Moves, it may move a number of squares equal to its Speed. A Tank may only move into the square it is Facing. Upon entering each square, a Tank may (but does not have to!) turn ninety degrees to the left or to the right, changing its Facing.

The blue Light Tank can enter three squares. It moves one square, turns ninety degrees, then moves two more squares, then turns ninety degrees.

A Tank may change its Facing without Moving, or may change its Facing before it moves into its first square, but either of these counts as one square entered (and thus toward the number of squares it may move in a single turn). A Tank cannot enter a square containing an Obstacle or an enemy Tank. A Tank can enter a square containing a friendly Tank or friendly Flag, but cannot remain there - it must "pass through" and end its Move in another square. If your Tank ends its Move in the same square as an enemy Flag, that Flag is considered Captured while your Tank remains in that square. If the Tank moves out of the square or is Destroyed, then that enemy Flag is no longer Captured. (To win the game in this manner, you must occupy the squares containing both enemy Flags at the start of your turn.) After finishing its Move, flip your Tank to its Finished side, maintaining the same Facing. A Finished Tank may never Move.

6. FIRING

When you Fire with a ready Tank, you must choose an eligible enemy Tank as its target. A Finished Tank may not Fire. Firing consists of three Steps: Range Counting, a Range Roll, and a Damage Roll. Design note: the Range and Damage Roll may be made simultaneously to save time if players have colordifferentiated dice.

Step 1: Range Counting

Count squares from your Firing Tank to the enemy Tank to determine the Range to the target. Do not count the square the Firing Tank is in, but do count the square the enemy Tank is in.

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Count from square to adjacent square, either orthogonally or diagonally, in any direction, so long as the squares are in front of your Tank, and so long as those squares are not blocked. Draw an imaginary line through the sides of your Tank. Anything in front of that line is in front of your Tank. Or to put it another way, if your Tank is facing to the right, then all the squares to the right of the row or column your Tank is occupying are in front of your Tank.

The blue Light Tank can fire on any of these red Medium Tanks. The topmost Tank is three squares away instead of two because the Obstacle prevents him from counting diagonally.

You may count squares in as circuitous a route as you like, but the higher the number of squares, the harder it will be to hit the target. You should always imagine your Tank firing directly at its target, though.

The green squares are in front of the Tank. The darkened squares are not.

Exception: Tank Destroyers. A Tank Destroyer may only count squares that are in a straight line in the direction it is Facing.

If your Range Count is 6 squares or more, you have no chance to hit, and should choose a different target or action. If your Range Count is less than 6 squares, move on to step 2.

Step 2: Range Roll

The number of squares counted in the previous step is the Range to the target. The Firing Tank rolls one die. If it rolls lower than or equal to the Range, the shot misses. Skip Step 3 and flip the Firing Tank to its Finished side. If it rolls higher than the Range, the shot hits - but may or may not do damage. We'll have to go to Step 3 to find out. For example, if you had counted 4 squares from the Firing Tank to its target, you will need to roll a or a to hit.

Step 3: Damage Roll

If the shot hits, the Firing Tank must check to see if it has Destroyed the enemy Tank. The Firing Tank will roll one or two dice depending on its Fire Rating. Compare each die result to the enemy Tank's Armor Factor. The Tank Destroyer can only count the green squares.

A square is blocked if it contains an Obstacle or another enemy Tank (that is, besides the target). Flags and Friendly Tanks do not block your Range Counting. Further, you cannot count a square diagonally if there is an Obstacle or enemy Tank on either side of the diagonal.

If all rolls are lower than or equal to the Armor, the shot is deflected and the Tank is not Destroyed. If any roll is higher than the Armor, the enemy Tank is Destroyed; remove it from the board.

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For example, a Heavy Tank rolls two dice when Firing, and is Firing on a Light Tank, which has an Armor Rating of "3". If the Heavy Tank rolls a and a , the shot would be deflected, as neither die roll is greater than 3. If the Heavy Tank rolls a and a , the shot would Destroy the Tank, because one of the dice - the - is greater than 3. And of course if the Heavy Tank rolls a and a , the shot would Destroy the Tank, because at least one of the dice - in this case both of them - is greater than 3. Regardless of the result, the Firing Tank is flipped to its Finished side.

7. FLIPPING FINISHED TANKS

On your turn, instead of performing an action with one of your ready Tanks, you can Flip all of your Finished Tanks on the board to their ready sides. Remember, Finished Tanks cannot Move or Fire.

8. REBUILDS

Twice during the game, you can use your turn to Rebuild one of your Tanks that was Destroyed. The Tank is placed back on the board, in any square on your Home Edge, Facing any direction, and on its Finished side.

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Reserves

A player may use two of her Rebuilds at once to bring in a brand-new sixth Tank, chosen from her remaining pieces. This Tank is deployed in a square in the player's Home Edge, on its Finished side.

Flank Armor

When Firing at a target Tank from a square on its Flank, subtract one from the target's Armor for that shot. If you are not in front of a Tank (as defined in section 6), you are Firing at its Flank.

Bounding Fire

A Tank may Move and Fire in the same turn, in that order only. The Tank's Speed is reduced by one for that Move. After the Tank's Move is finished, it may Fire, but when making its Range Roll, it must roll two dice, both of which must be higher than the Range. That is, if either or both dice miss, then the shot misses. Because it has a Speed of "1" only, a Heavy Tank cannot use Bounding Fire.

Stun

When a Range Roll is successful, and the highest Damage die rolled is exactly the same as the target's Armor, flip the target to its Finished side. If the target is already on its Finished side, there is no further effect.

Reverse Movement

When this option is used, move your Rebuild marker down one space; when it reaches zero, you have no more Rebuilds remaining. (If you're wondering why there are more than two spaces on the track, see Handicapping under the Optional Rules.)

When a Tank Moves, it may choose to use its whole Move to move backwards exactly one square, regardless of its Speed. A Tank Moving backwards may not turn at any time before or after its Move. Tanks moving in reverse cannot use Bounding Fire if that rule is also in use.

9. VICTORY

Ramming

At the start of your turn, if you have Captured both enemy Flags, you win immediately. Remember, to Capture a Flag, both Flag spaces must be occupied by your Tanks. It doesn't matter if you have Captured both Flags at the end of your turn, only if you still occupy those squares at the start of your next turn. If all of a player's Tanks are Destroyed, the other player wins immediately. The player whose Tanks have all been Destroyed does not get an opportunity to Rebuild, even if her Rebuild marker is still in play. Play continues until one player or the other wins. There are no draws.

10. OPTIONAL & ADVANCED RULES

The following rules add to the complexity of the game. You can add any, all, or none of them, in any combination, so long as both players agree to utilize the rules in question. We would suggest using the basic rules for your first few games, especially with younger players.

Handicapping

A player may be given an advantage or disadvantage by changing the number of Rebuilds allowed per match by that player.

You may Ram an enemy Tank by trying to Move into its square. Once adjacent to and Facing the enemy Tank's square, announce your intention to Ram that Tank; you do not actually enter the enemy square, but you do need to have sufficient Speed to potentially enter that square. Both players roll a die for their Tanks. If the roll is greater than their Tank's Armor Rating, the Tank is Destroyed! Ouch! If either or both Tanks survive, they are flipped to their Finished side. A Ramming Tank cannot use Bounding Fire if that rule is also in use.

Destroying Obstacles

A Tank may Fire at an Obstacle in the same manner and under the same restrictions as at an enemy Tank. If the Range Roll is successful, the Damage Roll result must be greater than 4 to Destroy the Obstacle. If using the Terrain Optional Rule below, you may only Destroy Buildings and Woods. If you fire on Water, the worst you can do is cause a bit of a splash, which the players can simulate with water pistols at a safe distance from the game.

Scott & Miles Muldoon

BITSKRIEG

Terrain

Obstacles have properties based on the sort of Terrain they represent. Buildings: As with Obstacles in the base rules, they block both Movement and Range Counting. Woods: Tanks may enter Woods squares freely, but they still block Range Counting. If a Woods square is occupied by the Firing Tank or the target Tank, that particular Woods square does not block Range Counting.

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Water: Tanks cannot enter Water squares, but Water squares do not block Range Counting. When using the Terrain rules, make the following change to Step 1 of the Set-Up Procedure. One Player will select any of the six Obstacle pieces, choosing the side of the piece with the Terrain she wishes to place, and then roll the dice to determine the square in which it will be placed. Her opponent then does the same, with the Players alternating until both Players have placed three of the Terrain pieces.

CREDITS DESIGN: SCOTT MULDOON & MILES MULDOON DEVELOPMENT: SCOTT MULDOON & TOM RUSSELL ART: WIL ALAMBRE RULEBOOK LAYOUT: MARY HOLLAND-RUSSELL RULEBOOK EDITING: MARY HOLLAND-RUSSELL & TRAVIS D. HILL PROBABILITY CONSULTANTS: DONALD BYRON JOHNSON, ERIK WALTON, ROGER LEROUX, MICHAEL RICHTER, MIKE ARMS SPECIAL THANKS: AMY MULDOON, FOR HER ELEGANT AND CREATIVE SOLUTION TO LINE OF FIRE, AND TO FRAN STEWART, FOR THE “BITSKRIEG”. COPYRIGHT 2017 SCOTT & MILES MULDOON, UNDER LICENSE TO HOLLANDSPIELE

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Art by Wil Alambre