Airborne in my Pocket
Airborne in My Pocket Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Content
10 Event Cards 16 Location tiles: 8 "inside" and 8 "outside" 1 Token (or more for some optional Scenarios) Player Aids with markers (optional) Rules Summary cards (optional)
Setup
1 – Put the Drop Zone tile in front of you (this is your starting location) and put aside the Entrance tile. Then shuffle all the outside tiles into one facedown pile, and all the inside tiles in another.
2 – Shuffle all the Event Cards into a deck and discard the top 2 cards, facedown.
3 – Note the starting time (0700, or 7 am), your starting weapon (your Colt .45 has a Power of 1) and your starting Health (6, though it can go up to 9 during the game).
4 – Put a marker or a token on the Drop Zone: this will represent you as you move from location to location.
Basic Overview
During a typical game, you will need to find the Ammo Dump (to retrieve some Explosives) and enter the Bunker (via the Bunker Door). Once inside, your job will be to find the Gun Control and sabotage it with the Explosives. Then, all you need to do is get out of the Bunker! Of course, you will encounter enemy soldiers (who will try to stop you) and pick up some items on the way (that will help you on your dangerous mission).
Outside Turn Sequence
You move along the dirt roads that lead to the Bunker.
1 – From where you are standing, choose a road direction (if you are on the Drop Zone, that means forward, left or right). If, for some reason, you decide not to move, you will still have to draw an Event Card (see 5).
2 – If the direction you have chosen leads to an unknown location, draw and place an outside tile. The road segment on the new tile must connect to the road segment you have chosen in your current location (if you have chosen to go left, that means the new tile must connect to the left segment of the road). The connection only needs to be made on your current location: this means the roads may or may not connect to the other adjacent locations (although it's always better if they do).
3 – Move your marker or token to your new location. You can only move 1 tile at a time, and you must move vertically or horizontally (never diagonally).
4 – Read the special instructions (if any) written on your location. Some of these directly affect the Event you are about to draw (like the Half-Track or the Barbed Wire) and others have effects that kick in after the Event (like the Field Hospital, the Panzer, the Supply Truck or the Armory. For the Command Room, see Locations below).
5 – Draw an Event Card (even if you have already visited this location, or if you have decided not to move). If there are no Event Cards left, see Time Passes below. Now read the Outside Event written on the card (this is called Resolving an Event):
- If the Event says you find/spot an Item, you may (if you want) draw the next Event Card and look at the bottom right corner of that card to see what Item you have found. If you choose not to draw a card, you do not get an Item. Don't forget to note which Item you have found (you can never carry more than 2, in addition to your Colt Pistol).
- If the Event says you gain or lose Health, adjust your current Health (you immediately die if you ever reach 0 and your Health can never go above 9).
- If the Event says you encounter enemies (Infantrymen, SS Soldiers or Paratroopers), see Combat below. You will notice some enemies (mainly SS Soldiers) have a special symbol beside them (Gewehr 43 ammo pouches): it means that if you combat these enemies, you may search their bodies and retrieve an Item before the end of the turn (draw another Event Card to see what Item you have found). Evading combat (see Combat) does not entitle you to retrieve an Item this way.
6 – If you need to resolve an additional Event (for obtaining the Explosives from the Ammo Dump, for example), restart step 5.
7 – The turn sequence has ended. Some location effects (like the Panzer or Infirmary) take place. You can now Rest if you want (see Resting, below) before starting another turn.
Finding a Flare Cartridge
If there are no more outside tiles to place, you will find, on that last tile, a forgotten Flare Cartridge, buried in the dirt. This cartridge is designed to be shot with the Model 42 Flare Gun, but it can be used on its own by a resourceful soldier. It is so small that it doesn't count toward your 2-Item limit (it is a Free Item). It can also be picked up by Special Operatives (see Advanced Rules), even the ones who are not allowed to pick up Items. If you already have the Flare Gun, the Flare Cartridge will give it 1 extra use. Or you can use it on its own whenever you want: discard an inside tile just drawn (remove it from the game) and draw another one instead (in effect, this will make you gain one turn). Either way, discard the Flare Cartridge after 1 use. This will compensate for the lost time outside and give you a fighting chance to win the game.
Moving Inside
The only way to move inside is through the Bunker Door. Once you are on the Bunker Door location, you can place the Entrance, lining up the arrows on both tiles (the Entrance is always put aside at the beginning of the game). To go from the Bunker Door to the Entrance, you move normally, but remember that you are changing from being outside to being inside (and must therefore read your Event Cards accordingly).
Inside Turn Sequence
Turns progress the same way as they do outside, but instead of connecting roads, you must connect doors. The Prison Cells, for example, have 2 opposing doors, and the Gun Control has 3 doors. When you are inside, don't forget to read Inside Events on the cards you draw.
Red Alert
Once you have destroyed the Guns in the Gun Control, the Germans sound the alarm and Red Alert is declared: from now on, you resolve Red Alert Events (whether you are inside or outside). Red Alert Events are more unforgiving than Outside or Inside Events, so be careful!
Time Passes
The game begins at 0700, as the Allied fleet engages the Germans and the Allied troops start landing. Every time you need to draw an Event Card and there are none left, 1 hour passes (make a note of it). Reshuffle the cards (including the top 2 discarded cards during setup), discard the top 2 cards facedown, and continue playing (if the last Event called for another card to be drawn, do it now). If you ever reach 1000, you have lost the game. You will therefore shuffle the Event Cards a maximum of 3 times per game.
Combat
In Airborne in my Pocket, you will meet 3 types of enemies:
- Infantrymen: The regular troops of the German Heer (Infantry). Tough and reliable, although often ill-equipped. (Although most encounters with Infantrymen are straight up, they can surprise you with a vicious attack with bayonets, on Inside Event #4.)
- SS Soldiers: The Waffen-SS, the fighting wing of the SS, have a solid reputation but very uneven results in the field. They do, however, have good equipment and excellent training. (When you defeat SS Soldiers, you always have the possibility of drawing an Item.)
- Paratroopers: The Fallschirmjäger, or Parachute Light Infantry, are part of the Luftwaffe (Air Force), unlike the US or the UK where paratroopers are part of the Army. They do not carry a lot of equipment with them. These elite forces, entirely made of volunteers, are young, highly-trained and very efficient in small tactics. (Paratroopers will often attack you in hand-to-hand combat, preventing you from Evading combat.)
Every weapon in the game has a Power rating (your starting Colt Pistol's Power is 1). The relative Power of weapons is based on their stopping power, rate of fire, accuracy, reload time, noise, recoil, availability of ammo, ease of use and other variables. As you pick up additional weapons during the game, your current Power score will go up (depending on the weapons you are carrying). When an Event card states that you encounter enemy units, you have 2 options:
1 – Fight: To resolve combat, subtract your current Power score from the total enemy units. You can choose which weapon or combination of weapons gives you the most Power according to the enemies you are facing. The difference is the Health points you lose in defeating the enemy. Subtract these points from your total Health (your starting Health is 6, but the maximum is 9). When fighting, you can only use 1 weapon at a time (except the Grenade, which can be combined with any weapon).
(# OF ENEMIES) minus (YOUR CURRENT POWER) = HEALTH LOSS
2 – Evade combat: To avoid fighting, you can run to a previously explored adjacent tile (using normal moving restrictions). As you Evade combat, the enemy will have the chance to fire some shots at you: lose -1 Health. Do not draw an Event Card for the location you run into. Evading combat can be very useful when trying to return to the Drop Zone on Red Alert. Remember that some encounters (with Paratroopers) forbid you to Evade combat. Also, if you resolve an Event while on the Barbed Wire, Evading is not permitted. The only way to Evade in these cases is by using Smoke Grenades (see Advanced Rules: Special Operatives). If you have a weapon that jams (see Weapon Jam in Events or Advanced Rules), you can look at the Event's color number before deciding to fight or Evade.
Resting
At the end of a turn sequence (step 8 of the Turn Sequence), you may Rest instead of moving on: Rest = +3 Health/card. (Under the harder-game Combat Fatigue optional rule, Resting instead gives +2 Health/card.)
Locations
Each location tile carries its own special instructions, printed on the tile. Read them when you arrive (see Outside/Inside Turn Sequence, step 4).
Starting locations
- Drop Zone: your starting location. Set aside at the start; end your turn here on Red Alert to win.
- Entrance: placed on the Bunker Door once you go inside; the crossing point between outside and inside.
Outside locations
- Ammo Dump: Resolve extra Event to obtain Explosives.
- Armory: May resolve extra Event for Panzerfaust.
- Barbed Wire: Can't evade combat.
- Bunker Door: the only way to move inside; place the Entrance here to cross over.
- Field Hospital: +1 Health if end turn here.
- Half-Track: Infantrymen & SS Soldiers are +2 here.
- Panzer: -1 Health if end turn here.
- Supply Truck: May draw an extra card for Item.
Inside locations
- Command Room: (see Advanced Rules: Special Operatives and Secondary Objectives for its effects.)
- Gun Control: Resolve extra Event to sabotage Guns.
- Infirmary: +1 Health if end turn here.
- Prison Cells: no special instructions printed; two opposing doors.
- Radio Room: no special instructions printed; used to send messages to HQ in some scenarios.
- Storage: May draw an extra card for Item.
Items
Each Item card gives its name, its Power rating (where it is a weapon), and its effect. Some Items are marked Free Item (they do not count toward your 2-Item limit) or 1 Use Only / X Uses (they are discarded, or lose a use, once spent).
Basic Items
- Colt M1911 .45 Pistol — Power 1. Starting weapon.
- Explosives — Free Item. Necessary to sabotage the Guns.
- Flame-Thrower (FmW 35) — Power 2 Outside / 5 Inside, 2 Uses.
- Flare Cartridge — Free Item, 1 Use Only. Discard 1 inside tile just drawn & draw another, OR add 1 use to Flare Gun.
- Flare Gun (Model 42) — 1 Use Only. Discard 1 tile just drawn & draw another, OR combine with Gasoline to kill all enemies in one combat.
- Gasoline — 1 Use Only. Evade 1 combat with no damage, OR add 2 uses to Flame-Thrower.
- Gewehr 43 (Rifle with Scope) — Power 3 Outside / 2 Inside.
- Grenade (Model 24 Stielhandgranate) — Power +3, 1 Use Only.
- Kar 98K (Rifle) — Power 2.
- Medical Kit — 1 Use Only. Regain up to +3 Health.
- MP 34 (Submachine Gun) — Power 2 (3 vs. Paratroopers).
- MP 40 (Submachine Gun) — Power 3.
- Panzerfaust 30 — 1 Use Only. Kills all enemies in 1 combat.
- Bronze Star Medal — 1 Use Only. Choose any 1 discarded card for your Item.
Advanced Items
- Flak Vest — Free Item. You can Evade combat with no damage.
- Flashlight — Free Item. When you draw for an Item, draw 2 cards, choose 1 & discard both cards.
- Grenade Box — Power +3. Contains 3 Grenades (1 use each).
- Hi-Standard HDM (Silencer Pistol) — Power 2 vs. Paratroopers / 3 vs. SS / 4 vs. Infantrymen.
- Heer Officer Uniform — Free Item. Ignore all Infantrymen.
- Lebel Modèle 1886 (Rifle) — Power 2. Jams on Event number 9.
- MG 42 (Machine Gun) — Power 6 Outside / 4 Inside. Must fight 3+ enemies to gain 1 use. Can only carry Free Items.
- No. 80 WP Smoke Grenade — Power +2, 1 Use Only, OR Evade with no damage even when not allowed to Evade.
- Sten Mk II (Submachine Gun) — Power 3. Jams on the blue-suit Event.
- StG45 (Assault Rifle) — Power 4. Jams on the red-suit Event.
Advanced Rules
The Advanced game adds Special Operatives and Secondary Objectives on top of the Basic Rules:
- Cut the Event Deck for a Special Operative (see Special Operatives, below).
- Shuffle Events & discard the top card facedown.
- Starting Health: 6 (Max: 9). Time: 0700 (game ends at 1000).
- Shuffle tiles, put aside Entrance. Start on Drop Zone.
- The 1st Event drawn becomes your Secondary Objective. Resolve an extra Event on your Secondary Objective location (see Secondary Objectives, below).
- Find Ammo Dump for Explosives. If you put all outside tiles in play, get a Flare Cartridge. Get inside Bunker. Sabotage Gun Control. Red Alert is declared. End turn on Drop Zone to win.
- Combat: (# of enemies) − (current Power) = Health loss. Evading: move to a previously explored adjacent location and lose -1 Health. Max Damage/combat: 4 Health.
Special Operatives
Cut the Event deck at the start of the game to determine which Special Operative you play as advanced characters (each replaces the standard trooper and starting Colt Pistol with its own equipment and a unique special rule):
- The Screaming Eagle — Cpl. Linwood Taylor, 101st Airborne, 506th PIR, 2nd Battalion (Easy Company). When you defeat enemies with the Gewehr 43 ammo-pouch symbol, you can take the Item printed on their card instead of drawing another card. Can carry only 1 Item.
- The Gunner — SFC. Floyd Manning, 82nd Airborne, 505th PIR, 2nd Battalion (Charlie Company). Carries an empty MG42 (Power 6 Outside / 4 Inside). To load it, fight enemies with the ammo-pouch symbol (gives 1 use). Also, resolve an extra Event at Ammo Dump to gain 1 use. Cannot pick up Items.
- The Spy — 2Lt. Melvin Gerrold, Office of Strategic Services, Operational Group Command. Power +1 when Inside. No Flame-Thrower, no Panzerfaust.
- The Red Devil — Lt. Trevor McBrady, British 6th Airborne, 5th Para Brigade (D Company). Power +1 when Outside, and can carry 3 Items. -1 extra Health when Evading.
- The Pathfinder — S/Sgt. Henry Stamp, British 6th Airborne, 22nd Independent Para Company. No need to connect roads & doors on locations (but must still use the Bunker Door to go inside). Must place at least 12 locations to win. No Flare Cartridge.
- The Commando — Maj. Nelson Bowers, British 30 Commando Assault Unit. Starts with a Sten Mk II (Power 3, jams on the blue-suit Event) and 3 No. 80 WP Smoke Grenades (Power +2 each, OR Evade with no damage even when not allowed to Evade, 1 use each). Cannot pick up Items. Maximum Health = 5.
- The Engineer — 2nd Lt. Donald Leclair, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (Alpha Company). No need to resolve extra Events on Ammo Dump, Gun Control or your Secondary Objective. Can't Evade from the SS.
- The Pilot — F/L. Albert Pelletier, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), No. 438 Squadron. Starts with a Flak Vest (Free Item; Evade combat with no damage). Resting is at a -1 penalty.
- The Résistant — Lt. Philippe Chaume, Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur (French Interior Forces). Starts with a Lebel Model 1886 Rifle (Power 2, jams on Event number 9). Rest at +1 extra Health. Sabotage the Guns with 1 additional Event.
- The Mixed Unit — 8 Paratroopers, drawn from the American 101st & 82nd Airborne, British 6th Airborne, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and Free French 4th S.A.S. Battalion. 8 men = maximum 8 Health, and can carry unlimited Items. Any Event that inflicts "-1 Health" or "lose 1 arm" instead makes you lose 1 man (which reduces your maximum Health by 1).
Secondary Objectives
Under Advanced Rules, the 1st Event drawn sets your Secondary Objective. Completing it (per its location's requirement) grants the listed reward.
Outside
- Barbed Wire → Bronze Star Medal
- Field Hospital → Resting gives +1 extra Health
- Half-Track → kill 1 SS Soldier and 1 Infantryman while outside
- Panzer → a Grenade Box (3 Grenades)
- Supply Truck → Heer Officer Uniform (ignore Infantry)
Inside
- Armory → StG45 (Power 4, jams on the red-suit Event)
- Infirmary → treat "-1 Health" Events as "+1 Health" instead
- Prison Cells → +1 Power for the rest of the game
- Radio Room → ignore 1 Event ("nothing happens")
- Storage → Hi-Standard HDM Pistol (Power 2 vs. Paratroopers / 3 vs. SS / 4 vs. Infantrymen)
Multiplayer Rules
Part I
- Play Basic or Advanced (using only these Special Ops: Scr. Eagle, Spy, Red Devil, Pathf., Engin.).
- Players have separate Health & Inventory. Starting Health = 5 (2 players) or 4 (3-4 players). Each player starts with a Colt Pistol.
- All players move together as a Platoon.
- Each turn, a player is the CO: he decides the actions of the Platoon. Next turn, the player to his right becomes CO, and so on.
- When an Item is found, the CO decides whether to draw for it & who keeps it.
Combat
- Always add the # of players to the # of enemies.
- If the CO decides to fight, add the Power of all players. The CO distributes damage as evenly as possible.
- If the CO decides to Evade, all players lose -1 Health.
Part II
- During combat, players are allowed to Disobey Orders:
- If they Evade instead of fight, their Power is not counted & they suffer no damage at all.
- If they fight instead of Evade, they compare Power with the enemies, suffer the resulting damage, and gain an Item: either the 1 printed on Event or use the Random Tables (decide before game starts). Platoon does not move to adjacent tile.
- When disobeying orders, a player gains 2 Court-Martial Tokens (CMT). A player with a CMT must skip his turn being CO and discard 1 CMT.
- The CO decides when to Rest. All players gain +1 Health/card.
- If a player dies, he gives all his Items to 1 player of his choice, discarding duplicates.
Optional Rules
Easier Game
- Bronze Star Variations: Choose any Item, or draw random from all possible Items.
- Flashlight: Start with Flashlight (when drawing for Items, draw 2 cards, choose 1, discard both).
- Full Health: Start at 9 Health.
- Give Me a Minute!: 1 extra hour, discard 1 more card per hour.
Harder Game
- Achtung!: Evading combat when inside starts a Red Alert.
- Bad Landing: Cut deck before game starts to see how much damage during drop: colors are worth 3, 2, 1, 0 damage.
- Barrage: On Red Alert, the Fleet shells the Bunker. When resolving Events, look at the Event's location: that tile is shelled (removed from game). If you are on it, you die. It can make escape impossible.
- Combat Fatigue: Resting = +2 Health (instead of +3).
- Dangerous Blast: When Guns are sabotaged, look at color of the extra Event just resolved. You suffer damage: colors are worth 3, 2, 1, 0 damage.
- Limited Health: Your maximum Health is 6 (start at 6).
- Overachiever: You have a 3rd objective, determined by the 2nd Event resolved (treat as another Secondary Objective).
- Time Is Money: Discard 1 more card when Time Passes.
- You Can Run, But You Can't Hide: No Evading when on Red Alert.
Scenario Rules
- Play like Basic Rules: when Time Passes, discard the top 2 cards facedown.
- No Secondary Objectives, no Special Ops, no Optional Rules.