Attack Force Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Game Parts
• The Map
• The Playing Pieces
• How to Set Up
• How to Play
• How to Win
• How to Move
• How to Attack
• Federation Flights
• Destroyed Pieces
• Discovering Hull Markers
• Vaj Korsen
• Attacking Launchers (optional)
• Attacking the Sensor Pod (optional)
• Playing Piece Reference (Inside Cover Faces)

Introduction

Starfighters Clash in Space

Vaj Korsen...known to history as Vaj the Conqueror. For 15 years, the ships of Korsen's Empire of the Firstborn ranged across the galaxy. One world after another fell before them until, finally, only a handful of planets of the Arcturan Federation were left. Try as he might, Korsen was unable to make them surrender. Then, after three years of constant war in space, the evil genius of the Empire hatched a master plan to end the resistance of the Arcturans forever. While his decoys kept the Federation Fleet busy elsewhere, Korsen appeared before Arcturus Prime with his newest weapon...the supersecret Novaship. Bigger and more heavily armored than any ship built before, the Novaship was capable of destroying entire planets...and Arcturus Prime, home of the Federation High Command, would soon be in its sights.

Knowing that it was too late to escape and lacking big ships capable of defending their planet against the Novaship, the Federation High Command made a desperate decision. Computer analysis showed just one vulnerable point on the Novaship, an intake tube only a few meters across. If a photon torpedo could be fired into that tube, the Novaship could be destroyed. The only spacecraft available that could carry photon torpedoes were four flights of small, but fast, starfighters. Although most or all of the starfighters would probably be destroyed by the Novaship's defenses, the High Command ordered them to attack.

ATTACK FORCE minigame is a two-player game of space combat in the far future. The Arcturan Player has 28 Eagle-class and Falcon-class Starfighters (divided into 4 Flights...Red, Blue, Green and Yellow) with which he can attack the Novaship. The Empire Player has 14 Batteries, 20 Cobra Starfighters and Vaj Korsen (in his own specially-modified Starfighter) with which to defend the Novaship. The two players move pieces representing their forces across a map of the side of the Novaship where the vulnerable intake tube is located, attacking each other's pieces as they move. The Arcturan Player wins if he destroys the Novaship. If he doesn't, the Empire Player wins.

Game Parts

Each copy of ATTACK FORCE minigame includes one 12"x14" playing map, 84 cardboard playing pieces, this rules booklet, two six-sided dice and a plastic game box. The dice are used to decide attacks. The use of the other parts is explained below.

The Map

The map shows the top of the Novaship (where the vulnerable intake tube is located) and the surrounding space. A movement grid is laid over the map to help players control the movement and placement of pieces. The grid's spaces are numbered for reference. A Map Key (printed on the map) shows what the colors and symbols on the map mean.

There are 5 special features of the Novaship shown on the map. They are: Battery Spaces (the 16 spaces where Battery pieces can be placed at the start of the game), Hull Spaces (the 8 spaces where Hull Markers are placed at the beginning of the game), Launchers (the 4 spaces where Cobra Starfighters appear during the game), the Sensor Pod Space (the space where the Novaship's computer sensors are located), and Tunnels (the lines connecting the 16 Battery Spaces to each other).

The Playing Pieces

There are three types of pieces in the game: Fighters, Batteries and Markers. Each Fighter piece shows one Fighter which can be one of three classes: Eagle-class, Falcon-class or Cobra-class. Only the Arcturan Player has Eagle and Falcon-class Fighters. Only the Empire Player has Cobra-class Fighters. There is one special Cobra-class Fighter in the game which is Vaj Korsen's personal Fighter. All of the Fighters in the game are used in exactly the same way (Exception: See VAJ KORSEN). The classes of fighter differ only in the numbers and letters that appear on their pieces. Fighters and Batteries have exactly the same numbers and letters on both sides of their pieces (though the backs are not as colorful as the fronts). This is so the pieces can be flipped over during their Turn to show which of them have not moved or attacked yet.

Each Battery piece shows one of the Novaship's Space Defense Batteries. There are three types of Batteries in the game: Lasers, Pompoms and Blasters. All three types of Batteries are used in exactly the same way. They differ only in the numbers and letters that appear on their pieces. All Fighter and Battery pieces list the same information, displayed as shown in the SAMPLE PLAYING PIECE diagram below.

SAMPLE PLAYING PIECE (diagram labels, as printed):

• ATTACK RATING (the letter at the top left, here "A")
• RANGE (the number at the top right, here "3")
• TYPE (the type of piece portrayed, here "Cobra" Starfighter)
• TARGET RATING (the letter at the bottom left, here "A")
• MOVEMENT RATING (the number at the bottom right, here "6")

The ATTACK RATING is used to attack the other player's pieces.

The TARGET RATING is used to find the results of attacks against your piece by one of the other player's pieces.

The RANGE is the maximum number of spaces there can be between the attacker and his target.

The TYPE is the type of piece portrayed (Eagle, Falcon or Cobra Starfighter, Laser, Pompom or Blaster Battery or Vaj Korsen).

The MOVEMENT RATING is the maximum number of spaces the piece can move in a Turn.

There are 2 types of Markers in the game: Wreck Markers and Hull Markers. Wreck Markers are placed on the map to show when the Launchers or the Sensor Pod have been Wrecked. The 9 Hull Markers are used to show the exact location of the intake tube (the Novaship's weak spot). Eight of the Hull Markers show the surface of the ship. The ninth shows an explosion (representing the result of a torpedo entering the intake tube).

Different colors and symbols are used to make it easier to recognize the playing pieces. The faces of the pieces are printed on the inside cover of these rules for easy reference.

How to Set Up

1. Fold the map against the creases so that it lies flat and place it between the players.
2. Separate the pieces by color and type.
3. Put all of the Cobra Starfighters and Vaj Korsen together in a cup (a teacup will do). Mix them up.
4. Put all of the Batteries into another cup. Mix them up. The Empire Player randomly draws 14 Battery pieces from the cup and looks at them. He then places one Battery in each Battery Space of his choice until all of the Battery Spaces except 2 have pieces in them. These two spaces remain empty at start. The remaining 7 Battery pieces are set aside. They are not used in the game.
5. The Arcturan Player mixes up the 8 Hull Markers that show a blank numbered section of the hull on their front. He then randomly chooses one and looks at the number. He keeps this piece until the end of the game when he shows it to the Empire Player to verify the location of the ship's vulnerable point.
6. After removing this numbered Hull Marker from the pile, he adds the Hull Marker showing an explosion to the 7 Hull Markers still in the pile and mixes them up. Then he draws the 8 Hull Markers from the pile and places each face down on the Hull Space containing the same number as the piece. When he draws the explosion, he puts it in the space with the same number as the Hull Marker he first drew and set aside. The Empire Player should never see which space has the explosion until he either discovers it himself during the game, or the Arcturan Player manages to successfully attack the Hull Marker in that space.
7. The Wreck Markers are set aside until needed during play.
8. The Arcturan Player decides which of the 4 different-colored Flights of Starfighters he controls (Red, Blue, Yellow or Green) will enter the game on the first Turn.

Play now begins and follows the steps listed in HOW TO PLAY.

How to Play

ATTACK FORCE minigame is played in Turns. Each Turn has several steps performed in the order given below:

1. The Arcturan Player places one of his Flights on the map in any map-edge spaces, one piece per space. All ships of one Flight must enter from the same map-edge. If all 4 Flights are on the map, this step is skipped. If not, all of the 7 pieces of one Flight must be placed on the map.
2. The Arcturan Player moves any or all of his pieces, attacking Empire pieces while moving, if he wishes.
3. The Empire Player must either: a) Turn over 3 Hull Markers or b) Draw 1 piece from the cup containing his Starfighters for each Launcher Space (total of 4, possible) that doesn't have a Wreck Marker (or another Cobra Starfighter). As each piece is drawn, the Empire Player must either place as many Fighters as possible or turn over 3 Hull Markers. He can't do both in the same Turn. Once a Hull Marker is turned over, it is left face-up. If all the Hull Markers that can be turned face-up are face-up or if all Starfighters that can be placed on Launchers have been placed, skip this step.
4. The Empire Player moves any or all of his pieces, attacking Arcturan pieces while moving, if he wishes.
5. The Arcturan Player may attack any Hull Marker in the same space with one of his Starfighters.
6. The players start a new Turn unless all Arcturan Starfighters have been destroyed or the Novaship has been destroyed. If all Arcturan pieces or the Novaship have been destroyed, the game is over (See HOW TO WIN to decide the winner).

How to Win

The Arcturan Player wins only by destroying the Novaship. He destroys the Novaship only by scoring a "hit" against the Hull Marker with the explosion on it during step 5. During that step, Arcturan pieces may attack face-down Hull Markers in the same space. Each piece may attack once. Follow the steps listed in HOW TO ATTACK.

A Hull Marker that is hit is turned over. If it shows a blank hull section, nothing happens. That Marker may not be attacked again. If the Marker shows an explosion, the Novaship's intake tube has been hit and the game ends. The Arcturan Player wins. All Hull Markers have a Target Rating of "E".

Hull Markers may only be attacked during step 5 of the Turn. The Arcturan Player may look at the Hull Markers before attacking to refresh his memory. The Empire Player cannot look at Hull Markers at this time. Hull Markers that are attacked, but not hit, are left face-down and can be attacked again.

If all 28 Arcturan pieces have been destroyed (removed from the game) at the end of a Turn, there is no chance that the Novaship can be destroyed and the game is over. The Empire Player wins.

How to Move

Players may move any or all of their pieces when it's their turn to move. They may not move any of their pieces when it is the other player's turn to move. The Arcturan Player can move his pieces only during step 2 each Turn and the Empire Player can move his pieces only during step 4. Each piece can move a number of spaces equal to its Movement Rating within these limits:

1. Each Fighter piece is moved separately space by space by the player who controls that piece. The player may stop moving a Fighter so he can attack an enemy piece with it. However, he can't stop moving one piece so that he can move or make attacks with another piece and then go back to moving the first piece. Once he starts moving a piece, he can't go back and move or attack with another, previously moved piece. As each piece finishes its movement (or attacks if the piece is a Battery), it should be flipped over to show that it may not move (or attack) again that turn. When a player is done moving, he should flip over any of his pieces that didn't move or attack that Turn so that the same side is showing on all the pieces. This allows the players to see at a glance which pieces have moved and which have not.
2. Movement and attacking are always voluntary. A piece is never forced to move. However, any unused part of a Movement Rating is lost. It can't be "saved" for use in another Turn or "lent" to another piece.
3. Fighters may stop during their move and attack enemy pieces (but not Hull Markers). The piece may then finish moving once it has made its attack.
4. Pieces can't leave the map.
5. Batteries move the same as Starfighters with the following exceptions: a. Batteries can only move between Battery Spaces along the Tunnels that connect those spaces. Batteries have no Movement Rating. Instead, each Battery can move from the Battery Space it is in to one other empty Battery Space connected to it by a Tunnel. Batteries may only move one Battery Space per Turn (they can't move through one Battery Space into another Battery Space). b. Batteries can't attack during a Turn in which they move to another Battery Space. They can only attack if they stay in the same space.
6. Each player can have only one piece in a space at any time. This means that sometimes a Battery will be unable to move unless another Battery is moved out of the space that the Battery is going to enter.

How to Attack

A player may use a piece he is moving to attack any one enemy piece during his move. A player cannot attack during the other player's move. Each attack consists of one moving piece (called the Attacker) attacking one enemy piece (called the Target), using these steps:

1. The Attacker's player counts the number of spaces between the Attacker and the Target, including the space the Target is in but not the space the Attacker is in. If this number is greater than the Range printed on the Attacker's piece, the attack can't take place (the Attacker can keep moving, if his Movement Rating allows, or can attack another piece). If not, the Attacker's player goes to step 2.
2. The player then finds his piece's Attack Rating (A, B or C) on the ATTACK TABLE. He reads down the column under the Attack Rating until he finds a number in the same row as the Target's Target Rating.
3. The Attacker's player rolls 2 dice. If the number on the dice is less than or the same as the number found in step 2, the Target is destroyed. If not, the attack has no effect.

EXAMPLE: A Cobra with an Attack Rating of A attacks an Eagle 2 spaces away with a Target Rating of B. The Range is 2, so the attack can take place. The Attacker's player finds the A column on the ATTACK TABLE and reads down it until he finds the number in row B (since the Eagle's Target Rating is B). This number is 7. The Attacker's player rolls a 6. The attack is a success. The Eagle is destroyed. It is immediately removed from the game.

The only exception to this rule is that Batteries do not attack while moving. Instead, at any time during his movement, a player may decide to attack with one or more Batteries. Only Batteries that don't move during a Turn can attack. The order in which pieces move and attack is very important. A Battery may be unable to move into a space if the Battery in that space has attacked and, so, can't move to make room for the new Battery.

ATTACK TABLE

TARGET IS:	ATTACKER IS: A	ATTACKER IS: B	ATTACKER IS: C
A	8	9	10
B	7	8	9
C	6	7	8
D	5	6	7
E	4	5	6

KEY: # = The attacker must roll less than or equal to this number on 2 six-sided dice to destroy the target.

Federation Flights

The Arcturan Starfighters are organized into 4 "Flights" which are named for their color. Each Turn, the Arcturan Player must bring one of these Flights into the game by placing all 7 pieces of that Flight's color in any map-edge space of the same map-edge that doesn't have another Arcturan Starfighter in it. He can never add more than one Flight in a Turn. When all Flights have been added to the game at the end of 4 Turns, the Arcturan Player cannot bring any more new pieces into the game. From then on, skip step 1.

Destroyed Pieces

Destroyed Starfighters and Batteries are removed from the game permanently. They never reenter the game and should be kept separate from pieces not yet in the game (Cobra Starfighters in the cup, for example).

Discovering Hull Markers

The Empire Player can't look at face-down Hull Markers except during step 3 (and then, only if he doesn't put Cobras on the map). During that step, he can look at 3 Hull Markers of his choice.

Once the Empire Player looks at a Hull Marker, it is turned face-up so both players can see it. If the Hull Marker with the explosion is turned face-up by the Empire Player during step 3, the game continues. The Novaship is not destroyed until the Arcturan Player "hits" the marker.

Vaj Korsen

Vaj Korsen can use his specially modified Starfighter to attack twice (instead of once) each Turn. Korsen can attack the same Target twice or he can attack two different Targets. If the Vaj Korsen piece is drawn for placement on a Launcher, the Empire Player may put his piece back into the cup and take a Cobra Starfighter instead. He can keep doing this until there are no more Cobra Starfighters left in the cup.

Attacking Launchers (optional)

If both players agree, the Arcturan Player should be allowed to attack a Launcher Space with a Starfighter that is in the same space during Step 5. This attack takes place in the same way as an attack on a Hull Marker. Launchers have a Target Rating of E. If hit, a Wreck Marker is placed in its space. If not, nothing happens.

Attacking the Sensor Pod (optional)

If both players agree, the Arcturan Player should be allowed to attack the Sensor Pod in the same way that he attacks Launchers (see ATTACKING LAUNCHERS, above). A successful attack on the Sensor Pod means that the Empire Player cannot look at any face-down Hull Markers. Instead, he must place Cobra Starfighters on his Launchers if possible. The Sensor Pod has a Target Rating of E. A Wreck Marker should be placed in the Sensor Pod Space. If this rule is not used, the Sensor Pod Space on the map is treated as a blank Hull Space.

Playing Piece Reference (Inside Cover Faces)

The faces of the pieces are printed on the inside cover of these rules for easy reference. Each piece shows its Attack Rating (top left), Range (top right), Type, Target Rating (bottom left) and, for Fighters, Movement Rating (bottom right). Counts below are the pieces of each type in the game, as shown on the counter sheet.

Type	Attack Rating	Range	Target Rating	Movement Rating	Count
Eagle-class Starfighter	A	4	B	5	14
Falcon-class Starfighter	A	4	A	6	14
Cobra-class Starfighter	A	3	A	6	20
Vaj Korsen (special Cobra-class Starfighter)	C	4	E	7	1

Batteries have no Movement Rating (see How to Move, step 5). The Hull Markers, Wreck Markers and Launcher/Sensor Pod markers are shown on the inside cover as face images and are used as described in the rules above.