2045 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Important Terms and Icons
• Goal of the Game
  • Introduction to the Six Player Identities
• Game Setup
  • Order Bonuses
• Flow of the Game
  • Play a Card
  • Action Cards
  • Basic Actions
  • Incite the Enemy
  • Select the PLA Elite Card and Perform 2 Basic Actions
  • Additional Free Actions
  • Completing Mission Cards and Claiming Rewards
  • Revealing Identities and Activating Special Abilities
  • Passing
  • Turn Order Bonuses
• Between Rounds
• End of the War
• Game Scoring
  • Faction Alliance Scoring
  • Contribution Scoring
  • Mission Scoring
• Rules of Engagement and Retreat
  • Rules of Engagement
  • Rules of Retreat
• Frequently Asked Questions
  • Engagement Questions
  • Character Skills Questions
  • Event Effect Questions
  • PLA Elite Questions
  • Mission Questions

Game Components

• 1 Map of Taiwan board
• 1 Faction Alliance board (Front - Chinese, Back - English)
• 5 Player boards (Front - Chinese, Back - English)
• 1 Taiwanese Army Exchange Zone board
• 1 Round track, Foreign Reinforcements area, Score track, Turn Order track and Order Bonuses (printed on the boards)
• 48 Mission cards
• 42 Action cards
• 6 Starting Character cards (front and back)
• 6 PLA Elite cards (front and back)
• 6 Identity Passports (bilingual version)
• 50 1-Taiwanese Army troop tokens (front and back)
• 5 5-Taiwanese Army troop tokens (front and back)
• 70 1-PLA Army troop tokens (front and back)
• 10 5-PLA Army troop tokens (front and back)
• 27 Taiwanese Character standees
• 6 PLA Elite standees
• 31 Standee bases (5 each in blue, green, yellow, gray, and brown; 6 in red)
• 20 Player tokens (4 each in blue, green, yellow, gray, and brown)
• 5 Contribution tokens (1 each in blue, green, yellow, gray, and brown)
• 25 Route tokens (5 each in blue, green, yellow, gray, and brown)
• 5 Score tokens (1 each in blue, green, yellow, gray, and brown)
• 10 Lure tokens
• 2 Destruction tokens
• 2 Water Cutoff tokens

Important Terms and Icons

In 2045, there are important terms and icons that appear often on the board or cards. This section will explain what they mean.

Faction: There are three Factions in the game: Pro-Government, Local Support, and Corporate. The bases on the map align with these three Factions by their colors.

Identity: There are 6 different playable identities in the game: Government Forces, TW Self-Defense Forces, Silicon Shield Inc., Tian Di Alliance, Whale Aerospace, and the Unification Committee.

Strategic Value: The number in the upper right corner of the base. This will affect the score at the end of the game.

Taiwanese Reserve: The common supply of Taiwanese Army troops.

Taiwanese Army Exchange Zone: When setting up the game, 5 5-Taiwanese Army troop tokens will be placed in this zone. Players can exchange 5 1-Taiwanese Army troop tokens on the map for 1 5-Taiwanese Army troop token here at any time during the game, to make the tokens easier to count and sturdier to move around. However, there must always be a total strength of 25 Taiwanese troops in the exchange zone. When the troop strength in the Taiwanese Reserve is exhausted, the troops in the exchange zone cannot be used as additional reserves.

PLA Reserve: The common supply of PLA troops.

Base: This game refers to both regular cities and core cities on the map as bases. There are a total of 33 bases on the map.

PLA Base: Any base with PLA troops occupying it. This includes the Northern, Central, and Southern landing sites.

Region: The game divides the main island of Taiwan into 6 major regions: Area A - Beibeiji, Area B - Taozhumiao, Area C - Zhongzhangtou, Area D - Yunjianan, Area E - Gaoping, Area F - Yihuadong.

Core City: The six bases that determine whether the game ends in a Taiwanese victory or a PLA victory. They consist of Taipei A1, Hsinchu B1, Taichung C1, Tainan D1, Kaohsiung E1, and Hualien F1. Regular cities only have one Faction alignment, but core cities have two Faction alignments.

Character: In general, this refers to a Character who fights for the Taiwanese Army. However, PLA Elites are also referred to as Characters. All Characters have corresponding standees and must have at least 1 troop token under them to remain on the board. If the troop strength reaches zero, the Character will immediately be defeated and the Character card will be placed in the area for defeated/discarded Characters on the player board. The PLA Elite card will be removed from the game.

Unit: A combat unit that consists of 1 or more troop tokens. Each Taiwanese Army or Traitor Army unit must have a Character standee above it. Each PLA Elite unit must have a PLA Elite standee above it, while PLA units without a standee are considered regular PLA units.

Mechanical: One of two types of Characters. Some Character skills or event effects apply only to Mechanical Characters.

Human: One of two types of Characters. Some Character skills or event effects apply only to Human Characters.

Your Army: All Characters controlled by the player, along with the troops under their command.

Taiwanese Army: All Characters and troops controlled by all players, except those controlled by the player who has revealed themselves as Unification Committee.

Traitor Army: A player who reveals their identity as the Unification Committee changes the Characters they control from the Taiwanese Army to the Traitor Army.

PLA: A non-playable character that continuously attacks on Taiwan throughout the game, including both PLA Elites and regular PLA units, as described below.

PLA Elite: PLA units marked with standees. The number on the standee represents the inherent combat power the PLA Elite has in addition to its troop strength. All PLA Elite standees must have at least 1 troop token under them to remain on the board. If the troop strength reaches zero, the Character's inherent combat power will also be considered zero and will immediately be defeated and removed from the board.

Regular PLA unit: PLA units without any standees.

Defeat: Winning a battle, whether attacking or defending, is considered defeating the enemy, even if the enemy is not completely destroyed.

Block: Win a battle as the defender.

Capture: Win a battle as the attacker and take control of an enemy base.

Basic Action - Recruit: This action allows the player to increase the number of troops under a Character they control.

Basic Action - Move: This action allows the player to move all Characters they control.

Basic Action - Redeploy: This action allows the player to bring back a Character from the area for defeated/discarded Characters of their player board to be redeployed at a specific base.

Basic Action - Surrender: This action allows the player to choose a base adjacent to the PLA base to surrender directly and bring in PLA troops.

Contribution: Players gain 1 Contribution for each PLA troop they destroy in the game, and these Contributions will be converted into points at the end of the game.

Score: Players immediately obtain the listed points on the Mission card by completing missions.

Goal of the Game

In 2045, players play as the leaders of various parties, secretly directing different agendas in the war. Whether Taiwan or the PLA wins, players have greater personal directives and must maximize their post-war advantages.

The game lasts 3 to 5 rounds. In each round, players take turns according to their order and receive the corresponding order bonuses. At the end of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds, there will be an assessment of the state of the war to determine whether Taiwan or the PLA is victorious. Although the outcome of the war does not represent a specific player winning, it will greatly affect the scoring. Therefore, players are recommended to familiarize themselves with the scoring rules of the game (see page 21 "Game Scoring"). This will allow players to make decisions that best suit both their short-term and long-term interests.

Introduction to the Six Player Identities

This section provides a background introduction to the six playable identities in the game. To learn more about the abilities of these identities, please refer to page 16 "Revealing Identities and Activating Special Abilities." For detailed scoring rules, please see page 21 "Game Scoring."

Government Forces: The embodiment of the Taiwanese government. When faced with life-or-death scenarios, it can mobilize resources domestically and abroad. Has strong ties to the Pro-Government Faction and gains bonus Pro-Government points at the end of the game.

TW Self-Defense Forces: A local voluntary organization with ferocious fighting power, united to defend the homeland together. Has strong ties to the Local Support Faction and gains bonus Local Support points at the end of the game.

Silicon Shield Inc.: The head of a powerful and all-conquering business entity. Protecting corporate interests is the utmost priority. Has strong ties to the Corporate Faction and gains bonus Corporate points at the end of the game.

Tian Di Alliance: A notorious gang that controls multiple profit networks and is difficult for the government to control. Has strong ties to both Local Support and Corporate Factions, gaining bonus points for both at the end of the game.

Whale Aerospace: The largest arms dealer in Taiwan. If there is war, there is profit. Has strong ties to the Pro-Government Faction and gains bonus Pro-Government points at the end of the game. In addition, the more PLA troops present on the field and the more intense the battles, the higher the points Whale Aerospace gains at the end of the game.

Unification Committee: As a secret agent for the PLA, revealing your identity won't just affect your own interests, but may turn the tide of the entire war. If your identity is not revealed until the end of the game, you will be treated as an ordinary civilian and may choose one Faction to gain bonus points. If your identity is revealed during gameplay, it is in your best interest to aid the PLA in securing victory to maximize your score.

Game Setup

1. Place the Map of Taiwan board in the center of the playing area. Place the round token in the space marked "1" on the round track.
2. Place the Faction Alliance board to the right of the map.
3. Prepare the Mission cards for the six regions: Area A (Beibeiji), Area B (Taozhumiao), Area C (Zhongzhangtou), Area D (Yunjianan), Area E (Gaoping), and Area F (Yihuadong). Shuffle each region's deck separately, and place the decks face-down beneath the Faction Alliance board.
4. Each player receives a player board and a set of tokens in the same color: 4 player tokens (wooden cubes), 1 Contribution token, 1 score token, and 5 standee bases.
5. All players place their Contribution token on the "0" space of the score track around the map, and their score token on the "5" space of the same track. Place 3 player tokens on the "0" space of each track on the Faction Alliance board.
6. Give each player an Identity Passport randomly. The identity should be kept secret from other players.
7. Take 50 1-Taiwanese Army troop tokens. Place 12 tokens in the Foreign Reinforcements area on the map, and stack the remaining on the table to form the Taiwanese Reserve. Place the Taiwanese Army Exchange Zone board above the map. Place 5 5-Taiwanese Army troop tokens on this board.
   • During the game, players may exchange 5 1-Taiwanese Army troop tokens for 1 5-Taiwanese Army troop token if the tokens stack too high during the game. However, there must always be a total troop strength of 25 here. (The total available Taiwanese Army troop strength in a game is 50.)
8. Take all PLA Army troop tokens and place 5 1-PLA Army troop tokens on each of the Northern, Central, and Southern landing sites on the map. Stack the remaining tokens on the table to form the PLA Reserve. Do not mix PLA Army troop tokens with Taiwanese Army troop tokens.
   • During the game, players may exchange 5 1-PLA Army troop tokens for 1 5-PLA Army troop token if the tokens stack too high. There is no upper limit to the PLA Army troops; if tokens run out, use a suitable substitute.
9. Take out the route tokens, lure tokens, destruction tokens, water cutoff tokens, and the Hero of Taiwan token, and place them on the table for use as needed.

Order Bonuses

• 1st: Be the 1st player to choose an Action card, and is guaranteed to have 2 opportunities to select an Action card this round.
• 2nd: At the beginning of this round, draw 1 Mission card from any Mission card deck.
• 3rd: During this round, you may look at the 3 face-down Action cards at any time.
• 4th: In this round, each time you play an Action card, you may perform an additional basic action. This basic action can be performed before or after executing the Action card, but must be before the Incite the Enemy action. (See Flow of the Game)
• 5th: At the beginning of this round, draw 1 Action card from any Action card deck.

Flow of the Game

In the game 2045, each game lasts up to 5 rounds. The game will either end in a Taiwanese victory or a PLA victory based on the number of core cities occupied by the PLA on the island (see page 20, "End of the War"). The scoring rules for these two endings are completely different. Therefore, players must constantly assess the state of war and make decisions that align with the interests of their hidden identity throughout the game.

Each round consists of multiple player turns. Players take turns in the order indicated by the tokens on the current round order track. The round ends only after all players Pass.

During their turn, a player can choose one of the following actions:

• Play a card and take a turn (Main Action), see the rules below.
• Pass, select the turn order for the next round, and skip all subsequent turns in the current round, see page 16 (as printed; the Passing rules appear on page 19).

If the player chooses to play a card and perform a main action, they may also perform the following additional actions at any time during their turn:

• Completing Mission cards and claiming rewards (Additional Action), see page 15.
• Revealing identity and activating special abilities (Additional Action), see page 16.
• Special abilities are one-time use only.

Play a Card

A player must play either an Action card or a PLA Elite card to take their turn. Players can select any one of the cards in the card supply. Once a card is selected, it will not be replenished until the start of the next round.

Players can obtain and play a card in one of the following three ways:

• A. Choose 1 face-up/face-down Action card from the card supply (see the rules below).
• B. Play 1 Action card from their hand (see the rules below).
• C. Select the PLA Elite card from the card supply, then perform 2 basic actions (see page 14).

The rules of these actions are described in detail below:

A. Choose 1 face-up/face-down Action card from the card supply. Players may select 1 Action card from the card supply, and add it to their hand. Then, play any 1 Action card from their hand to take their turn.

• In most cases, players will not have other Action cards in their hand. In such cases, they can play the card selected directly to proceed.

B. Play 1 Action card from their hand. If there are no cards left in the card supply, but players still have Action cards in their hand, they may choose to play an Action card directly from their hand to take their turn.

Regardless of option A or B, as long as an Action card (not a PLA Elite card) is played, the player will gain 1 Faction Alliance point to the corresponding Faction of the card before performing the action.

Faction Alliance: The alliance level that players have with each Faction will significantly affect their scoring at the end of the game (see page 21, "Game Scoring"). Players can only score for 2 out of the 3 Factions: Corporate, Pro-Government, and Local Support. Therefore, choosing which Faction to increase alliance with is a key strategy for winning the game.

• Some Action cards do not increase the Faction Alliance point when played. However, if these cards are played at the right time, players will be able to gain a significant number of Contributions.

In addition, when the Faction Alliance points of each Faction reach specific values (the colored spaces), the player will immediately gain rewards from that Faction:

• Corporate: Draw 1 Mission card from any Mission card deck.
• Pro-Government: Gain 2 Contributions.
• Local Support: Gain 3 troops and freely assign them to any of your Characters.
  • If there are fewer than 3 troops available, gain only the remaining tokens.

After increasing the corresponding Faction Alliance point based on the card played, players can choose one of the following two options:

• Perform the effect stated on the card.
• Forego the card effect and perform 1 basic action instead.

Example 1: Player A selects a Central Action card from the card supply. The card is "Cadet Corps." After gaining 1 Local Support point, the player can choose to:

• Perform the effect stated on the card (see the rules below): Insert the "Cadet Corps" Character standee into Player A's standee base, and place it on Toufen B5 with 6 Taiwanese Army troops.
• Forego the card effect and perform 1 basic action instead (see page 11, "Basic Actions"): Place the card "Cadet Corps" in Player A's area for defeated/discarded Characters on their player board.

Action Cards

In the game, all Action cards are divided into two types: Character and Event cards. The differences are outlined below:

Card Comparison Example 1

• Character Card: Character Type, Character Name, Faction Type, Effect upon Play, Character Skill.
• Event Card: Event Name, Faction Type, Event Effect.

If a player executes the card effect of a Character card, place the card face-up in front of their player board. Follow the card's instructions to take the corresponding Character standee and troops, and deploy them at the designated base. If the player chooses to forego playing the Character card and perform a basic action instead, the card will be placed in the area for defeated/discarded Character on their player board. This Character can later be redeployed through the action Redeploy.

When activating an Event card, all effects described are applied unless the card states that only one effect can be chosen. Remove the card from the game after the effect is resolved. If the event effect is foregone to perform basic action instead, remove the card from the game immediately.

Action cards are divided into three decks: Northern, Central, and Southern. These roughly correspond to the following bases:

• Northern Action cards: A total of 11 bases north of the line that includes Hsinchu B1, Longtan B3, and Su'ao F3.
• Central Action cards: A total of 11 bases, including Miaoli B4, Toufen B5, Hualien F1 to the south; Xiluo D3, Douliu D4, Chishang F4 to the north.
• Southern Action cards: A total of 11 bases south of the line that includes Budai D2, Chiayi D5, and Taitung F5.

It is important to note that bases affected by the Action cards do not entirely overlap with the regional divisions of the Mission cards. For example, if a player wants to deploy a new unit in Yunjianan (Area D) to complete a mission, but no Southern Action card is available in the card supply, they may choose a Central Action card instead, as Xiluo D3 and Douliu D4 are also part of the area.

Basic Actions

As mentioned above, if the player foregoes the card effect, they may perform one basic action as described below. Each time a player performs a basic action, they may choose one of the following four options:

• Recruit: Add 2 troops to 1 Character you control.
  • If the Taiwanese Reserve has no available troops, this action cannot be performed.
• Move: All Characters you control may move 0-2 spaces.
  • When moving the Characters under the player's command, the entire unit must move together. Troops cannot be left behind at any base.
  • You may pass through or move into other bases controlled by the Taiwanese Army. Multiple Taiwanese Characters can occupy the same base.
  • If a Character enters an enemy-controlled base during its movement, it stops immediately, and a battle will occur after the rest of the Characters finish moving (see page 27, "Rules of Engagement and Retreat").
  • Troops lost due to battle, Character's skills, event effects, or Surrender action are returned to the supply (Taiwanese Reserve/PLA Reserve) based on their color.
• Redeploy: Redeploy one of your defeated/discarded Characters in any core city not controlled by the PLA, instead of the base designated by the card. When redeployed, the Character's effect upon play will be reactivated, but no Faction Alliance point is gained.
  • If all core cities are occupied by the PLA, the Character may be redeployed to any base not occupied by the PLA.
• Surrender: Place 1 PLA troop on a non-PLA controlled base adjacent to a PLA base. All Taiwanese Army units in this base lose 1 troop and retreat 1 space.
  • You do not need to have a Character in a base to perform the Surrender action.
  • From a thematic perspective, the player uses propaganda to sway public opinion, convincing the locals to surrender. Therefore, regardless of whether there are Taiwanese Army units at that base, 1 PLA Army troop will be added immediately, and any Taiwanese Army units will lose a troop and be forced to retreat.

After a player plays a card and performs their action, whether they choose to perform the card effect or forego it in favor of performing a basic action, they must then carry out an Incite the Enemy action to complete their turn.

Incite the Enemy

In the game, in order to take over Taiwan, the PLA continuously increases troop presence and launches attacks every round. Players can perform the Incite the Enemy action to intervene in PLA operations by spreading intelligence, steering the PLA's reinforcements and attacks in a direction that aligns with the player's strategy.

The Incite the Enemy action includes the following two steps:

• Increase PLA troops (compulsory)
• Lure the PLA or Incite Elite (choose one of the two)

Increase PLA troops: Choose 2 PLA bases to add 1 troop to each. The newly added troops will merge with the existing PLA forces at those bases, forming stronger units.

• PLA bases include bases on the island with existing PLA units, as well as the Northern, Central and Southern landing sites.
• There is no upper limit to the PLA Army troops. If the PLA Army troop tokens are insufficient, substitute them with coins or any suitable replacement.

PLA units, and their combat power equals the number of troops they contain. As shown in the picture, the "14th Combined Arms Brigade" has an inherent combat power of 7 and controls 7 troops, giving it a total combat power of 14.

• PLA units with Character standees are considered PLA Elite units. Their combat power is the sum of the inherent combat power of the standees and the number of troops under their command. PLA units without standees are referred to as regular PLA units.

Lure the PLA: Lure a PLA unit from a base to move and attack. At least 1 PLA Army troop must remain at the original base to garrison it. If the target is a regular PLA unit, any number of troops can be lured. If the target is a PLA Elite unit, you can lure up to 2 troops under its control.

• Thematically, PLA Elite units are more disciplined and better commanded, making them harder to lure.

The lured PLA units may move 1-2 spaces and pass through other PLA bases during the movement, but their destination must be a base without PLA presence. When passing through other PLA bases, the units may leave troops behind to join forces with existing units. However, they cannot take troops from those bases to join their movement.

• If there are no bases within 2 spaces with no PLA presence, the player cannot perform the Lure the PLA action on the unit.

During movement, if the lured unit passes through an empty base, it must leave at least 1 PLA troop (or more) to garrison the base.

When moving into a base controlled by the Taiwanese Army, the movement ends immediately and a battle begins (see page 27, "Rules of Engagement and Retreat").

If you choose to Lure the PLA for your Incite the Enemy action, place 1 lure token on the map.

• This action can be used strategically to eliminate small numbers of PLA troops and gain Contributions, or to direct large PLA forces to attack other players' Characters, depending on the player's strategic goals.

Example 2: In Example 1, Player A chose to play the card, deploying "Cadet Corps" at Toufen B5. After activating the card effect, Player A must proceed with the Incite the Enemy action:

1. First, Player A places 1 1-PLA Army troop token on the Southern landing site and another at the Central landing site, increasing the number of PLA troops.
2. Next, Player A chooses the Lure the PLA action and places a lure token on the map. From the 6-troop regular PLA unit at the Central landing site, 4 troops are lured through Qingshui C5 toward Toufen B5.
3. When the 4 lured troops pass through Qingshui C5, Player A leaves 2 troops to garrison the base, and the remaining 2 troops continue to Toufen B5 to engage the "Cadet Corps." Following the rules of engagement, "Cadet Corps" successfully blocked and destroyed 2 PLA troops. Player A immediately advances their Contribution token by 2 spaces (See page 27, "Rules of Engagement and Retreat").

Incite Elite: Incite 1 PLA Elite unit to move and attack. The PLA Elite unit must leave exactly 1 troop at the original base (including landing sites) to garrison it, while all remaining troops will move 1-2 spaces with the unit. During the movement, the unit may pass through other PLA bases, but the destination must be a base with no PLA presence. When passing through other PLA bases, if the base is occupied by regular PLA units, only 1 PLA troop will remain to garrison that base, and the remaining will join the PLA Elite unit and move together. If the base passed is occupied by another PLA Elite unit, the base is unaffected.

• If there are no bases within 2 spaces with no PLA presence, the player must prioritize selecting other PLA Elite units. If no such units are available, move any PLA Elite unit to any PLA base within 1-2 spaces. The regular PLA units there will merge with the PLA Elite unit, forming a stronger unit.

During the movement, if the unit passes through an empty base, it must leave exactly 1 PLA troop to the garrison. When moving into a base controlled by the Taiwanese Army, the movement ends immediately and a battle begins (see page 27, "Rules of Engagement and Retreat").

If you choose the Incite Elite option during the Incite the Enemy action, you may remove all lure tokens from the map. For each token removed, gain 2 points and move the score token forward accordingly.

Regardless of whether you Lure the PLA or Incite Elite, you may not leave a PLA base empty. In other words, PLA units with 1 troop left cannot be targeted for Lure the PLA or Incite Elite action.

• Whether it is a regular PLA unit or a PLA Elite unit, troops must be left behind to garrison empty bases they pass through (including the starting point).

Example 3: "Sea Dragons Commandos" at the Southern landing site is the only PLA Elite unit on the map. Player B chooses to perform Incite Elite during the Incite the Enemy action. After leaving 1 troop to garrison the Southern landing site, Player B moves the PLA Elite unit through Zuoying E2 and into Kaohsiung E1. When passing through Zuoying E2, the unit leaves 1 troop to garrison the base. The remaining 11 troops under the unit's command, combined with the PLA Elite's 5 inherent combat power, resulted in a total combat power of 16 to attack Kaohsiung E1. The PLA Elite unit defeats Player D's "Insectoid Squad," forcing the unit to lose 2 troops and retreat to Pingtung E5. There is 1 lure token on the map, which Player B removes to gain 2 points.

Select the PLA Elite Card and Perform 2 Basic Actions

During the "Play a Card" phase, players can also choose to play a PLA Elite card. If the player selects the PLA Elite card from the card supply, they first perform 2 basic actions. Then, they deploy the PLA Elite unit by placing the corresponding Character standee and troop tokens at the designated location, activating its effect upon play.

The effects of the PLA Elite card must be carried out and cannot be foregone.

After a player executes a PLA Elite card's effects for their turn, they do not need to perform the Incite the Enemy action.

• The effect upon play of some PLA Elite cards allows players to perform Incite Elite actions. When performing these actions, players can also remove all lure tokens from the map and gain corresponding points.

All PLA Elites have inherent combat power, which applies during both attacks and defenses.

• Some Taiwanese Character skills also grant additional combat power to their units. However, these may only apply during attacks or defenses, depending on the card description. Players should pay close attention.

Example 4: During their turn, Player B selects the PLA Elite card "14th Combined Arms Brigade." For the two basic actions gained through selecting the PLA Elite card, they chose to Recruit twice to their Character, "Flying Squad," increasing the number of troops from 3 to 7. Then, Player B follows the description on the "14th Combined Arms Brigade" card and places 3 PLA troops on each of the two routes from the Northern landing site leading to Tamsui A3 and Keelung A4. Take out the Character standee for the PLA Elite and place it on the Northern landing site. There are 5 troops at the location, and only 1 troop can be left to garrison, so the remaining 4 troops will join together with the PLA Elite unit. Player B chooses to merge this unit with the 3 troops invading Keelung A4 to form a unit with 14 combat power. Then, this PLA unit invades Keelung A4. In addition, the 3 regular PLA troops that did not join forces with the unit invaded Tamsui A3. After the two PLA units invade Tamsui and Keelung respectively, Player B then executes the effect upon play of the PLA Elite, "Wave of Steel," to Incite Elite with a distance of 1-3 spaces. Starting from Keelung A4, Player B directs the unit to move through Xizhi A5, Yilan F2, finally landing in Su'ao F3. Since it is compulsory to leave 1 PLA troop each to garrison in Keelung A4, Xizhi A5, and Yilan F2, when the "14th Combined Arms Brigade" arrives at Su'ao F3, the number of troops it possesses is reduced from 7 to 4.

Additional Free Actions

If a player chooses to play a card, they can perform the following additional free actions at any time during their turn:

• Completing Mission Cards and Claiming Rewards
• Revealing Identities and Activating Special Abilities

Completing Mission Cards and Claiming Rewards

All Mission cards have two different missions: "Resist the PLA" and "Help the PLA." The left half of the card has a "Resist the PLA" mission: complete the mission to immediately gain Points and Contributions. The right half of the card has a "Help the PLA" mission: complete the mission to immediately gain Points.

Players must meet the conditions of the mission in a single turn of theirs to complete the mission.

For example, if the mission is to defeat the PLA 2 times, a player can achieve this by moving multiple units to attack different PLA units at separate bases during their turn. They can also defeat 1 PLA unit during their turn and defeat another during their Incite the Enemy action in the same turn. Or they can achieve it from the 2 basic actions gained from choosing a PLA Elite card. In any case, all actions must occur within a single turn.

As long as a player completes one of the missions on the card, they flip the card face-up next to their player board and immediately claim the stated points and/or Contributions.

Even if a player has completed both sides of one Mission card, they may only choose one reward to claim. However, a player may complete multiple Mission cards in a turn and claim rewards for each Mission card they complete.

• When completing multiple missions, players can freely choose to fulfill either "Resist the PLA" or "Help the PLA" missions, without being restricted to a single type.

At the end of the player's turn, all Mission cards completed this turn must be discarded. The player may then draw a number of new Mission cards equal to the ones discarded into their hand. When drawing new Mission cards, the player may select from any of the six regions. If drawing multiple Mission cards, the player may draw from the same region or from different regions.

Players can hold up to three Mission cards in their hand. If obtaining new Mission cards through order bonuses or Corporate Faction rewards causes the total to exceed three, players must select and discard a number of Mission cards from their hand to comply with the limit.

In the conditions of each Mission card, you will see terms like "Your Army," "Taiwanese Army," "PLA," "defeat," "block," and "capture," etc. If you have any questions about these terms, please refer to page 4 "Important Terms and Icons."

Card Comparison Example 2: Compare the "Help the PLA" missions in the above three Mission cards from left to right:

• First mission: Have 1 Taiwanese Character retreat due to the base's Surrender in Taozhumiao. Surrender is one of the four basic actions, so players can only achieve this mission by performing the basic action.
• Second mission: Defeat 1 Taiwanese Character in Taozhumiao. Defeat can only occur during battles; players can fulfill this mission in two ways: move their Characters to battle with PLA units and ensure losing, or move PLA units during the Incite the Enemy action to defeat a Taiwanese Character. Both are possible methods to fulfill the mission.
• Third mission: The Taiwanese Army lost a total of 2 troops in Taozhumiao. According to the rules of engagement, the losing side loses troops before retreating, so most methods used to complete the second mission will also fulfill the third mission. In addition, players can also accomplish this mission by defeating PLA twice in a turn (as Taiwanese Characters have to lose 1 troop per battle even in a victory). They can also perform the Surrender action in a base with two Taiwanese Characters, causing both to retreat and lose 1 troop each.

Revealing Identities and Activating Special Abilities

When setting up the game, each player receives an Identity Passport that contains information about their secret identity.

Players may flip open their passports at any time during their turn, revealing their identity to all players and activating their special abilities.

• Special abilities can only be activated after revealing your identity. Since each player can only reveal their identity once per game, their special ability can also only be activated once.

The following section explains the special abilities of the six identities in detail:

TW Self-Defense Forces Abilities: Spirit of Taiwan

• Perform any 2 basic actions of Recruit or Redeploy, and 1 basic action of Move.
• During the turn in which the player reveals their identity (including the Incite the Enemy action), the player gains an additional 3 points for every 2 troops of PLA/Traitor Army destroyed (gain 6 points for 4 troops destroyed, etc.).

However, at the end of the game, the Local Support bonus points that the player gains will be reduced from 3 to 2.

"Spirit of Taiwan" is an ability designed for resolute resistance. Players can use the ability to quickly increase their troop strength, and then move to attack. Combined with card effects or basic actions from the player's turn, this ability enables a swift counterattack. The player can also gain additional Contributions by destroying as many PLA/Traitor troops as possible during the turn.

Government Forces Abilities: International Dispatch

Choose one of the following actions:

• A. Move 8 troops from your units or Taiwanese Reserve to Foreign Reinforcements.
• B. Move 8 troops from Foreign Reinforcements to your units.

However, at the end of the game, the Pro-Government bonus points that the player gains will be reduced from 3 to 2.

The Government Forces player can use "International Dispatch" to transfer troops from Foreign Reinforcements back to the island to strengthen their forces. They can also transfer the remaining troops overseas when the situation becomes unfavorable for Taiwan.

Silicon Shield Inc. Abilities: Balanced Expansion

• Perform 2 basic actions and 1 Incite the Enemy action.

However, at the end of the game, the Corporate bonus points that the player gains will be reduced from 3 to 2.

"Balanced Expansion" is an ability that benefits a dual-sided strategy for the player. Players can use the 2 basic actions and 1 Incite the Enemy action to eliminate more PLA troops and defend Taiwan. Alternatively, they can also choose to use the 2 basic actions to perform Surrender and use the Incite the Enemy action to provoke a PLA Elite, immediately turning the tide in favor of the PLA.

Tian Di Alliance Abilities: Secret Society

• Draw 2 Action cards, then discard 1 Action card from your hand.

However, at the end of the game, the Local Support and Corporate bonus points that the player gains will be reduced from 2 each to 1 each.

"Secret Society" is a self-serving ability. When the player activates the ability during their turn, they gain 1 extra Action card. Although the card cannot be used immediately, they can strategically play it later to gain an additional player turn.

Whale Aerospace Abilities: Inner Ghosts and Outer Demons

• Move 1 PLA Elite standee on the board or in the area for defeated/discarded Characters onto any 1 regular PLA unit.

However, at the end of the game, the Pro-Government bonus points that the player gains will be reduced from 2 to 1.

Players can use "Inner Ghosts and Outer Demons" to move a PLA Elite standee onto a front-line PLA unit to strengthen the PLA's offensive. They can also use the ability to move a PLA Elite standee onto a weak 1-troop unit and destroy it, earning significant Contributions. Note that at the end of the game, the Whale Aerospace player will gain an additional 1 point for every 2 PLA combat power on the island, so doing this may result in a slight loss of points.

Unification Committee Abilities: Return to the Motherland

• Flip all your troop tokens over to the Traitor Army troops and perform 1 basic action of Move.
• From now on, you will not fight against the PLA but instead fight against the Taiwanese Army.
• Changes to Basic Actions:
  • Recruit troops from the PLA Reserve instead of the Taiwanese Reserve.
  • Redeploy Characters in the core cities controlled by the PLA.
  • If you Surrender by placing one 1-PLA Army troop token in a Traitor base, the Characters under your control will not be affected.
• When fighting the Taiwanese Army, the Traitor Army wins in the event of a tie. If you lose and retreat after losing 2 troops, the opponent will gain 2 Contributions. If you win, you will lose 1 troop and the opponent will not gain Contributions.
• All event effects that affect the troop strength of the PLA also affect the Traitor Army.

However, at the end of the game, you will not be able to gain the 1 Faction Alliance bonus point of your choice, which you could have obtained had you not revealed your identity.

"Return to the Motherland" is an ability that aligns the player with the PLA. Once used, the Characters and troops under the player's control will switch allegiance to the Traitor Army. As proponents of the PLA, they will now fight against the Taiwanese Army in subsequent turns, helping the PLA to defeat Taiwan.

The special ability of every identity is very powerful, but activating the ability will also come at the cost of reducing the Faction Alliance bonus points at the end of the game. The ability can only be activated once, so choosing the right timing for activation is crucial. Carefully consider when to use it.

Looking at the special abilities of the six identities, you can gauge the position of each identity on the pro-PLA and anti-PLA spectrum. However, players can still try various strategies and challenge themselves. For example, players can try to win as the TW Self-Defense Forces during a PLA victory, or as the Unification Committee in a Taiwanese victory, as long as they don't reveal their identity prematurely.

Passing

Instead of playing a card and taking a turn, players can also choose to Pass. Passing allows the player to select their turn order for the next round and skip all subsequent turns in the current round.

After Passing, the player can move their player token from the current round's order track to any available space in the next round's turn order track. This will also determine the turn order bonus the player will receive in the next round.

• Each space in the order track can only accommodate one player token.

Turn Order Bonuses

• 1st: Be the 1st player to choose an Action card, and is guaranteed to have 2 opportunities to select an Action card this round.
• 2nd: At the beginning of this round, draw 1 Mission card from any Mission card deck.
• 3rd: During this round, you may look at the 3 face-down Action cards at any time.
• 4th: In this round, each time you play an Action card, you may perform an additional basic action. This basic action can be performed before or after executing the Action card, but must be before the Incite the Enemy action.
• 5th: At the beginning of this round, draw 1 Action card from any Action card deck.

In most cases, when there are still cards available in the card supply, it may not make sense to Pass just to be the first to choose the next round's turn order bonus. However, there are some rare situations where it may be more beneficial to secure the next round's turn order instead of taking another turn. Players need to evaluate the situation and make decisions accordingly.

If it is the player's turn and there are no cards available in the card supply and no cards in the player's hand, the player must Pass and choose the next round's turn order. If the player still has Action cards in hand, they can choose to play a card or Pass and keep the Action card for the next round.

• The Action cards in players' hands are very valuable. They allow a player to take a turn when other players have no cards to choose from and are forced to Pass.

According to the rules, players can choose to Pass regardless of whether there are still cards in the card supply. However, there is an exception: if it is a player's turn and all other players have already Passed, and there are still cards available in the card supply, the player must choose a card from the card supply and play it. They cannot choose to Pass until there are no cards left in the card supply.

Once all players have Passed, the round ends. Proceed to the Between Rounds phase to prepare for the next round.

Between Rounds

After a round is over, follow these steps to set up for the next round:

1. Flip over a new PLA Elite card and place it face-up next to the corresponding space in the card supply. Then, draw 2 Action cards from the corresponding Action card deck based on the designated landing site shown on the new PLA Elite card. Place the 2 Action cards face-up next to the main Action card spaces in the card supply. Finally, draw 1 card each from the three Action card decks, and place the three cards face-down next to the corresponding spaces in the card supply.
2. Move the round token on the round track forward 1 space.
3. Move each player's player token from the next round's order track (right side) to the current round's order track (left side). Players then receive their corresponding turn order bonuses. Now, you are ready to start the next round.

End of the War

At the end of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds of the game, the game state will be assessed based on the number of core cities currently occupied by the PLA.

• Core cities refer to Taipei A1, Hsinchu B1, Taichung C1, Tainan D1, Kaohsiung E1, and Hualien F1. These core cities have a different outline as compared to other bases on the map. Although Taoyuan B2 is of high strategic value, it is not considered a core city that will affect the outcome of the war.

At the end of the 3rd round:

• If the PLA occupies 5 or more core cities: the game ends in a PLA victory.
• If the PLA occupies exactly 3 or 4 core cities: proceed to the Between Rounds phase, and the game enters the 4th round.
• If the PLA occupies less than 3 core cities: the game ends in a Taiwanese victory.

At the end of the 4th round:

• If the PLA occupies 5 or more core cities: the game ends in a PLA victory.
• If the PLA occupies exactly 4 core cities: proceed to the Between Rounds phase, and the game enters the 5th round.
• If the PLA occupies less than 4 core cities: the game ends in a Taiwanese victory.

At the end of the 5th round:

• If the PLA occupies 5 or more core cities: the game ends in a PLA victory.
• If the PLA occupies less than 5 core cities: the game ends in a Taiwanese victory.

From a thematic perspective, the greater Taiwan's resistance to the PLA, the faster international intervention and support will come to aid. Conversely, if Taiwan's key bases fall quickly, the international community may adopt a wait-and-see approach or even withdraw its support.

Game Scoring

At the end of the game, whether the result is a Taiwanese victory or a PLA victory does not determine the individual player's win or loss. The final outcome is determined by the distribution of post-war benefits (scores). Will your identity come out on top?

Before starting to score, follow these steps to organize the game status for smoother scoring:

1. All players flip open their Identity Passports and gain bonus Faction Alliance points based on their identity. Players cannot receive rewards if their token has reached a colored space on the Faction Alliance track at this point.
   • Players whose identities were revealed during the game can still gain Faction Alliance bonus points, but the bonus will be reduced according to the identity description.
2. Award the Hero of Taiwan token to the player with the highest Contributions, excluding the player revealed to be the Unification Committee during gameplay. Keep the troop tokens of all Characters under the Hero of Taiwan player for subsequent scoring.
   • If there is a tie, all tied players are considered Heroes of Taiwan and score accordingly (see page 25, "Contribution Scoring").
3. Remove all other Taiwanese Army troop tokens and Traitor Army troop tokens, leaving only the PLA Army troop tokens on the map.

Scoring can now begin. There are three types of points to be scored: Faction points, Contribution points, and Mission points. These will be explained in detail below.

• There is a free app available to assist with scoring. Download the app using the QR code. If you use the app to assist in scoring, follow the instructions in the app to input the state of the game.

Faction Alliance Scoring

There are three Factions in the game: Pro-Government, Local Support, and Corporate.

A. Taiwanese Victory

If Taiwan wins the war:

A-1. First, calculate the total strategic value of the bases of each Faction that are not occupied by the PLA.

Thematically, when Taiwan wins the war, Local Support leaders will want to minimize the number of PLA troops in their territory (bases), so only bases not occupied by the PLA troops will be scored. Similarly, Pro-Government and Corporate will use the same method to calculate their strategic value.

Example 5: As shown in the picture, after 5 rounds of the game, PLA only occupied 4 core cities. Kaohsiung E1 and Hualien F1 were not occupied by the PLA and the game ended in a Taiwanese victory. At this point:

• The Pro-Government bases not occupied by the PLA include Kaohsiung E1, Gangshan E3, Qishan E4, Hualien F1, and Taitung F5, with a total of 9 points of Pro-Government strategic value.
• The Local Support bases not occupied by the PLA include Pingtung E5, Hualien F1, and Chishang F4, with a total of 5 points of Local Support strategic value.
• The only Corporate base not occupied by the PLA is Kaohsiung E1, with a Corporate strategic value of 3 points.

A-2. Players choose 2 Factions to score according to their game-scoring rules (see Identity Passports). Multiply the Faction Alliance value by the total strategic value from A-1, and this is the player's total Faction points.

Thematically, even if the Faction has a large amount of benefits to distribute after the war, the player cannot gain many benefits if their identity does not have a good relationship with that Faction.

• Government Forces: Must score Pro-Government and 1 other Faction of their choice.
• TW Self-Defense Forces: Must score Local Support and 1 other Faction of their choice.
• Silicon Shield Inc.: Must score Corporate and 1 other Faction of their choice.
• Tian Di Alliance: Must score Corporate and Local Support.
• Whale Aerospace: Must score Pro-Government and 1 other Faction of their choice.
• Unification Committee (identity not revealed): Choose any 2 Factions to score.
• Unification Committee (identity revealed): 0 points.

Example 6: Continuing from Example 5, the Corporate value is 3, the Pro-Government value is 9, and the Local Support value is 5.

• Player A's identity is Government Forces, and their Alliance values with Corporate, Pro-Government, and Local Support Factions are 3, 6, and 1 respectively. Player A must score Pro-Government and choose Corporate for the other Faction, scoring 6×9 + 3×3 = 63 Faction points.
• Player B's identity is the Tian Di Alliance, and their Alliance values with Corporate, Pro-Government, and Local Support Factions are 4, 2, and 5 respectively. Player B must score Corporate and Local Support, scoring 4×3 + 5×5 = 37 Faction points.
• Player C's identity is Silicon Shield Inc., and their Alliance values with Corporate, Pro-Government, and Local Support Factions are 8, 0, and 2 respectively. Player C must score Corporate and choose Local Support for the other Faction, scoring 8×3 + 2×5 = 34 Faction points.
• Player D's identity is the Unification Committee and their identity was revealed in the game. In the case of a Taiwanese victory, they score 0 points.

B. PLA Victory

If the PLA wins the war:

B-1. First, calculate the total strategic value of the bases of Local Support and Corporate Factions that have been occupied by the PLA.

Thematically, when the PLA wins the war, Local Support leaders will want their territory (bases) to have already surrendered to the PLA, so they can claim to have supported the PLA in order to gain more resources and influence. Thus, only bases that have been occupied by the PLA will be included in the scoring. Corporate Faction will score in the same way.

B-2. Then, calculate the total troop strength of the Taiwanese Army in Foreign Reinforcements.

Thematically, when the PLA wins the war, the Pro-Government Faction loses control over the island. The more resources they have retained overseas, the more power they can maintain after the war, possibly even allowing them to negotiate with the PLA.

Example 7: As shown in the picture, after 5 rounds of the game, the only core city left not occupied by the PLA is Kaohsiung E1, and the game is considered a PLA victory. At this point:

• Except for Pingtung E5 and Chishang F4, all other Local Support bases are occupied by the PLA, with a total of 21 Local Support strategic value.
• Except for Kaohsiung E1, all other Corporate bases are occupied by the PLA, with a total of 20 Corporate strategic value.
• There are 12 Taiwanese Army troops in Foreign Reinforcements.

B-3. Players choose 2 Factions to score according to their game-scoring rules (see Identity Passports). Multiply the Faction Alliance value by the total value from B-1 or B-2, and this is the player's total Faction points.

• Local Support/Corporate Alliance value × B-1; Pro-Government Alliance value × B-2.

• Government Forces: Must score Pro-Government and 1 other Faction of their choice.

• TW Self-Defense Forces: Must score Local Support and 1 other Faction of their choice.

• Silicon Shield Inc.: Must score Corporate and 1 other Faction of their choice.

• Tian Di Alliance: Must score Corporate and Local Support.

• Whale Aerospace: Must score Pro-Government and 1 other Faction of their choice.

• Unification Committee (identity not revealed): Choose any 2 Factions to score.

• Unification Committee (identity revealed): Total strategic value of bases occupied by the PLA × 5, plus the number of core cities occupied by the PLA × 5.

Example 8: Continuing from Example 7, the Corporate value is 20, the Foreign Reinforcements troop strength is 12, and the Local Support value is 21.

• Player A's identity is Government Forces, and their Alliance values with Corporate, Pro-Government, and Local Support Factions are 3, 6, and 1 respectively. Player A must score Pro-Government and choose Corporate for the other Faction, scoring 6×12 + 3×20 = 132 Faction points.
• Player B's identity is the Tian Di Alliance, and their Alliance values with Corporate, Pro-Government, and Local Support Factions are 4, 2, and 5 respectively. Player B must score Corporate and Local Support and scores 4×20 + 5×21 = 185 Faction points.
• Player C's identity is Silicon Shield Inc., and their Alliance values with Corporate, Pro-Government, and Local Support Factions are 8, 0, and 2 respectively. Player C must score Corporate and choose Local Support for the other Faction, scoring 8×20 + 2×21 = 202 Faction points.
• Player D's identity is the Unification Committee and their identity was revealed in the game. In the case of a PLA victory, the total strategic value of bases occupied by the PLA is 43, worth 5 points each. Each core city occupied by the PLA also adds an additional 5 points each. Therefore, they receive 43×5 + 5×5 = 240 Faction points.

Contribution Scoring

A. Taiwanese Victory

Contribution points:

• Default scoring (Heroes of Taiwan): 3 points per Contribution. Gain an additional 2 points for each troop.
• Default scoring (Other players): 2 points per Contribution.
• Unification Committee (unrevealed identity): Default scoring. Receive the Hero of Taiwan token if they have the highest Contributions, otherwise, score 2 points for every Contribution.
• Unification Committee (revealed identity): 0 points.
• Whale Aerospace: In addition to default scoring, gain 1 point for every 2 PLA combat power on the island, up to a maximum of 50 points.

Players awarded the Hero of Taiwan token will score 3 points for every Contribution, and gain 2 points for each troop token under their Characters. All other players will score 2 points for every Contribution.

Thematically, if Taiwan wins, the Hero of Taiwan who contributed the most during the war will receive the greatest glory.

Thematically, the Unification Committee disguised their identity perfectly throughout the game, so people still regard them as ordinary civilians and score them accordingly. Unification Committee (identity revealed): Score 0 points for Contribution.

Thematically, since Contributions come from destroying PLA troops or completing "Resist the PLA" missions, players who already reveal themselves as pro-PLA cannot count their Contributions.

Whale Aerospace: In addition to the default scoring mentioned above, every 2 points of PLA combat power on the island (including the PLA Elite standees' inherent combat power) will score an additional 1 point, up to a maximum of 50 points.

Example 9: After scoring Faction points, Contribution points are calculated. Player B, who has the most Contributions, is the Hero of Taiwan and has 2 Characters on the map with 2 troops each.

In the case of a Taiwanese victory:

• Player A's Contributions are worth 2 points each, scoring 20×2 = 40 Contribution points.
• Player B's Contributions are worth 3 points each, and their troops are worth 2 points each. They score 21×3 + 4×2 = 71 Contribution points.
• Player C's Contributions are worth 2 points each, scoring 15×2 = 30 Contribution points.
• Player D is the Unification Committee with their identity revealed. Regardless of whether the Taiwanese or the PLA wins, they score 0 Contribution points.

B. PLA Victory

Contribution points:

• Default scoring (Heroes of Taiwan): Do not score for Contribution. Lose 1 point for each troop.
• Default scoring (Other players): 2 points per Contribution.
• Unification Committee (unrevealed identity): Default scoring. Receive the Hero of Taiwan token if they have the highest Contributions, otherwise, score 2 points for every Contribution.
• Unification Committee (revealed identity): 0 points.
• Whale Aerospace: In addition to default point scoring, gain 1 point for every 2 PLA combat power on the island, up to a maximum of 50 points.

Players awarded the Hero of Taiwan token do not score for their Contributions and lose 1 point for each troop under their Characters. All other players will score 2 points for every Contribution.

Thematically, if the PLA wins, the Hero of Taiwan who eliminated the most PLA troops during the war, becomes the first target of persecution and is forced into exile.

Whale Aerospace: In addition to the default scoring mentioned above, every 2 points of PLA combat power on the island (including the PLA Elite standees' inherent combat power) will score an additional 1 point, up to a maximum of 50 points.

Example 10: If Example 9 ends with a PLA victory instead of a Taiwanese victory, Player B, the Hero of Taiwan, will not score any points for Contribution and will lose 1 point for each troop, resulting in a total of -4 points for Contribution. The Contribution points for the other 3 players will remain unaffected.

Mission Scoring

When a mission is completed during the game, the player's score token is immediately advanced to the corresponding position on the score track (see page 15, "Completing Mission Cards and Claiming Rewards"). The points recorded on the score track represent the player's Mission points at the end of the game.

After summing up Faction points, Contribution points, and Mission points, the player with the highest total score is the one who gains the greatest post-war benefits and is declared the winner. If there is a tie, all tied players share the victory.

Rules of Engagement and Retreat

When the Taiwanese Army encounters the PLA or the Traitor Army at the same base, a battle is triggered. The following section details the rules of engagement and retreat.

Rules of Engagement

• When a battle is triggered, the troops originally stationed at the base become the defenders, while the troops moving into the base are the attackers. Some Character skills provide additional combat power, but players should note whether these skills are limited to attacking or defending only. All PLA Elites have inherent combat power as specified on their standees.
• If a base where a Taiwanese Character is about to deploy is already occupied by the PLA, a battle will immediately be triggered. The Taiwanese Army will act as the attacker and the PLA will act as the defender.
• Combat power calculation: 1 troop = 1 combat power.
• The side with the higher total combat power wins the battle. If the combat power is tied, the PLA wins by default.
• The losing side must lose 2 troops in total and retreat to an adjacent base (see the next section for rules of retreat).
• If the Taiwanese Army or the Traitor Army wins, they must still lose 1 troop. If the PLA wins, they do not lose any troops.

Thematically, the battle takes place in Taiwan, and any engagement will cause the Taiwanese Army to suffer inevitable losses.

• When a Taiwanese or Traitor Army unit is eliminated, place the corresponding Character card in the player's area for discarded/defeated Characters on their player board. When a PLA Elite unit is eliminated, remove the corresponding PLA Elite card from the game.
• Multiple Characters in the same base can join forces, combining their combat power. The PLA and the Traitor Army, or multiple PLA Elite units, can also join forces. When fighting in teams, the unit with the highest combat power will gain Contributions or lose troops. If combat power is tied among the combined units, the active player decides which unit loses troops.
• For every PLA or Traitor troop destroyed, the player earns 1 Contribution. If a PLA Elite unit is completely wiped out (all troops eliminated), it is removed from the board immediately. The player who defeated the unit will also gain Contributions equal to the PLA Elite's inherent combat power.

Rules of Retreat

When retreating, units cannot retreat to the base from which the enemy attacked. In addition, the rules of retreat are divided into PLA retreat, Taiwanese Army retreat, and Traitor Army retreat. Please refer to each section for details.

PLA Retreat

When a PLA unit retreats, priority is given to moving to an adjacent PLA base (including landing sites) to join with the PLA troops stationed there, forming a new unit.

• Exception: If a PLA Elite unit retreats to a base already occupied by another PLA Elite unit, the two units will remain separate and will not merge.
• If there are multiple bases to choose from, the active player will decide which base to retreat to.
• If there are no adjacent PLA bases, priority will be given to the adjacent base with the fewest Taiwanese Army troops (including empty bases).
• If no valid adjacent bases exist, the player who controls the unit will decide which adjacent PLA/Traitor base to move into.
• If a PLA unit encounters the Taiwanese Army units during retreat, another battle will be triggered. If the PLA unit loses troops, the Taiwanese Army player can gain corresponding Contributions.

Taiwanese Army Retreat

When a Taiwanese Army unit retreats, priority is given to moving to an adjacent base with no PLA presence.

• If there are other Taiwanese Army units in the destination base, the units will remain separate and will not merge.
• If there are other PLA units in the destination base, the units will remain separate and will not merge.
• If there are multiple bases to choose from, the player who controls the unit will decide which base to retreat to.
• If no valid adjacent bases exist, the player who controls the unit will decide which adjacent Taiwanese base to move into.
• If a Taiwanese Army unit encounters the PLA or Traitor Army units during retreat, another battle will be triggered. However, even if the PLA or Traitor Army unit loses troops, the Taiwanese Army player will NOT gain Contributions.

Traitor Army Retreat

When a Traitor Army unit retreats, priority is given to moving to an adjacent base with no Taiwanese Army presence.

• If a Traitor Army unit encounters the Taiwanese units during retreat, another battle will be triggered. If the Traitor Army unit loses troops, the Taiwanese Army player can gain corresponding Contributions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Engagement Questions

Q: If two units at the same base each have 1 troop left and are defeated by the PLA, should both units lose 1 troop each, or will the unit with higher combat power lose 1 troop while the other retreat without losing any troops?

A: Since the rule prioritizes that the losing side must lose a total of 2 troops, both units will lose 1 troop each in this case. If multiple units with unequal troop strengths are involved, the unit with the higher combat power will lose troops first. For example, if the two units have 2 troops and 1 troop respectively, in a joint defeat, the 2-troop unit will bear the loss and thus be eliminated, while the 1-troop unit will retreat without any loss.

Q: In a joint battle, can the active player use Character skills controlled by other players?

A: Yes. However, if the PLA unit loses troops due to the effect of a skill, the Contributions will be awarded to the player who controls the Character, not the active player.

Q: If multiple units need to retreat simultaneously, how is the order of retreat determined?

A: Starting with the active player, the retreat order proceeds in the current player order.

Q: Can players attack and take control of the PLA's Northern, Central, and Southern landing sites?

A: No. According to the game setting, Taiwan has lost control of the seas. The landing sites on the map are marked with one-way arrows to reflect this limitation.

Q: Do Traitor Army units need to leave at least one troop at their original base when moving as PLA units do?

A: No. Whether it is the Taiwanese Army or the Traitor Army, any unit controlled by a player must move as a whole and cannot leave troops behind. Only the PLA units, which are programmed to invade, must leave at least 1 troop at each base they pass through (including the starting point). This applies to both regular and PLA Elite units.

Q: When a Unification Committee player reveals their identity and converts their troops into the Traitor Army, what happens if a Traitor Army unit is at the same base as other Taiwanese Army units?

A: After the identity is revealed, hostilities between the Taiwanese Army and the Traitor Army take effect instantly. The base enters a battle state, with the Traitor Army acting as the attacker.

Q: When a Traitor unit is composed of troops from the Taiwanese Army (before the identity reveal) and the PLA (recruited later), which type of troop is prioritized for losses during combat?

A: Taiwanese Army troops are prioritized for depletion. These lost troops are returned to the Taiwanese Reserve.

Character Skills Questions

Q: If you use Character skills to destroy PLA troops, do you gain Contributions?

A: Yes, as long as you destroy PLA troops, you will gain Contributions.

Q: A player selects the Character card "Medical Squad" and increases the Local Support point by 1, moving their player token to a colored space on the Faction Alliance board, gaining 3 troops. Can these 3 troops be allocated to the "Medical Squad"?

A: No. According to the flow of the game, the timing in which the player selects a card and gains the Faction Alliance point occurs before the card effect is executed. Therefore, when the player receives the 3 troops as the Faction Alliance rewards, the "Medical Squad" has not been deployed and cannot be allocated the troops. If the player has no other Characters to allocate the troops to, the reward of 3 troops will be returned to the Taiwanese Reserve.

Q: In the scenario where "Engineer Brigade Captain" and "Kuma Warriors" are both located in Tainan D1, when performing a basic action of Move, can the player first use the skill of "Engineer Brigade Captain" to move "Kuma Warriors" to Xiluo D3 to defeat the PLA Elite unit there, and then use the remaining Move action of "Kuma Warriors" to move to Changhua C4 for another battle?

A: Suppose Xiluo D3 is an empty base. After the player uses the skill of "Engineer Brigade Captain" to move together with "Kuma Warriors" to Xiluo D3, "Kuma Warriors" can then move alone to Changhua C4 to engage the PLA unit there. However, since Xiluo D3 is occupied by a PLA Elite unit, according to the rules, if a Character enters an enemy-controlled base during movement, the movement halts immediately, and combat begins after all other Characters have finished their movement (see page 11, "Basic Actions"). In this scenario, both "Engineer Brigade Captain" and "Kuma Warriors" will remain in Xiluo D3 to fight the battle together. Furthermore, the Move action must occur before any engagement, so "Kuma Warriors" cannot move to Changhua C4 to engage the PLA unit there after the battle.

Event Effect Questions

Q: The Action card "Mazu the Protector" has the effect of moving all PLA troops in Changhua C4, Qingshui C5, and Xiluo D3 back to any landing site. Does this mean that all PLA troops in these bases can be relocated together to the Northern landing site?

A: Yes, any landing site is possible. After the PLA troops (including both PLA Elite units and regular PLA units) are moved to the Northern landing site, they will join forces with the existing PLA units at the landing site and form a new unit.

Q: The Action card "The Will of the People" increases a Character's troops according to the player's current Local Support value (including the 1 point provided by this card). Could you provide an example?

A: For example, suppose the player's Local Support value is initially 3. After playing "The Will of the People," the value then increases to 4. The player first gains 3 troops from reaching a colored space on the Faction Alliance board, which can be assigned to any of their Characters. Then, when the effect of this card is triggered, because the Local Support value is now 4, the player can gain 4 more troops to one of the selected Characters. Additionally, the player will gain 2 Contributions for this action (gain 1 Contribution for each 2 troops gained from this event).

PLA Elite Questions

Q: When using Whale Aerospace's special abilities "Inner Ghosts and Outer Demons" to redeploy the defeated PLA Elite back to the field, will the effect of the card be reactivated?

A: No.

Q: The "Airborne Combat" skill of "Thunder Gods Airborne Brigade" can choose any base in Gaoping (Area E) to place 4 PLA troops. If all bases in the area are full of Taiwanese Army troops, the 4 PLA troops will parachute into Gangshan E3. Will this trigger an immediate battle?

A: Yes, the airborne PLA troops will be considered the attacker.

Q: Can the Incite Elite actions additionally execute through the effect of "14th Combined Arms Brigade" or "73rd Group Army" allow the player to remove lure tokens and gain points?

A: Yes.

Mission Questions

Q: For the "Help the PLA" mission "2 Taiwanese Characters were defeated in X Area", if you use PLA units to defeat 2 Taiwanese Characters in the same base during the Incite the Enemy action, but only one Character loses troops and the other retreats without any losses. Does this count as completing the mission?

A: Yes, this counts. According to page 4 "Important Terms and Icons," defeat means winning in a battle. In other words, a Character is considered defeated when losing in a battle. The 2 Taiwanese Characters are both considered to have been defeated, regardless of whether they lost troops or not.

Q: For the "Help the PLA" mission "A PLA Elite moved into Beibeiji (Area A)", if there is already a PLA Elite "United Front Strategist" in the said area, does this count as completing the mission?

A: No, this does not count. The mission condition requires a PLA Elite to move into Beibeiji during your turn. This can be completed by allowing other PLA Elites to enter the area. Alternatively, you can make "United Front Strategist" leave Beibeiji, then have it return to the area in a subsequent turn to complete the mission.

Q: If you perform the Incite Elite action to move a PLA Elite from Miaoli B4 to Taichung C1 to fight the Taiwanese Army unit there, get defeated, and retreat to Miaoli, will this be considered as completing the "Resist the PLA" mission of defeating a PLA Elite once, as well as the "Help the PLA" mission of PLA Elite moving into Zhongzhangtou?

A: Yes, this can be understood as follows: The PLA Elite first enters Taichung C1, a base in the Zhongzhangtou area, completing the mission of a PLA Elite moving into Zhongzhangtou. Then, they engage in a battle with the Taiwanese Army units in Taichung and are defeated, completing the "Resist the PLA" mission.