Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge
Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 1 Game Board
- 12 Twelve-Sided Dice
- 1 Turn Marker
- 1 Victory Point Marker
- 1 Axis Reinforcement Chart
- 3 Allies Reinforcement Charts
- 2 Reference Charts
- 36 Front Line Markers
- 6 Combat Strips
- 110 Supply Tokens (100 ones, 10 fives)
- 135 Plastic Chips (125 gray, 10 red)
58 Total Axis Playing Pieces (gray):
- 20 Infantry
- 16 Tanks
- 12 Artillery
- 6 Trucks
- 3 Fighters
- 1 Bomber
80 Total Allies Playing Pieces:
- 29 Infantry (6 tan, 23 green)
- 14 Tanks (3 tan, 11 green)
- 13 Artillery (2 tan, 11 green)
- 12 Trucks (green)
- 9 Fighters (3 tan, 6 green)
- 3 Bombers (1 tan, 2 green)
Storage Tray
Upon first opening the Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge box, you'll find four strips, each with two notches in it, included in the cardboard components. These four strips combine with the inner compartment to form a storage tray.
To make the tray, first insert the two short strips, with notches facing up, into the grooves found in the lower part of the compartment so that the strips bridge together the two long sides of the box. Then with notches facing down, align the long strips so that they lock together with the shorter strips, and insert the long strips into the grooves so that they bridge together the two short sides of the box.
Summary of Play
The Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge game lasts up to eight turns. Each turn, players alternate attacking each other's forces one hex at a time, paying for each attack with a Supply token. Halfway through the game, the weather clears and aircraft may also attack.
Each turn, after all units have attacked or declined to attack, the Axis player may move their units into open or friendly hexes, paying for moves with Supply tokens, and bring in reinforcements and supplies using Trucks and roads. Then the Allies player does the same.
At the end of each turn, update the front-line markers to reflect the forward progress of the Axis units. Adjust the victory point track to include any new cities or towns that have fallen onto the Axis side of the front line.
Object of the Game
To win, you must meet one of the following conditions:
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As the Axis player (Germany), your goal is to capture 24 victory points worth of cities and towns. If you succeed, it means that you have made better progress than the Axis did historically in the Battle of the Bulge.
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As the Allies player (United Kingdom and United States), your goal is to prevent the Axis player from capturing 24 victory points by the end of the eighth turn. If you succeed, it means you've held off the Axis to the point at which your air superiority and overwhelming reinforcements will prevent any further Axis progress.
Historic Progress of the Axis: The 1944 German attack in the Ardennes captured the highlighted area shown on the board, which represents the capture of 23 victory points worth of cities and towns.
Game Setup
Decide who will play the Axis and who will play the Allies. Once you've decided who will play which power, prepare the game for play.
The Game Board
The game board depicts the section of the Belgian/German border where the Axis made its move, punching deep into the line on route to Antwerp—which they never reached. Antwerp is so far away in fact, that it isn't represented on the board. The Axis player should sit near its eastern (right) edge, and the Allies player should sit near its western or southern (left or bottom) edge.
Starting Front Line. Place front line markers along this front line. Everything east of these markers is Axis-controlled territory, and everything west is Allied-controlled territory. At the end of each turn, you'll update the markers to show the progress of the Axis.
Cities & Towns. Each city and town west of the German border has a victory point number on it and awards the indicated number of victory points to the Axis player as long as they control it.
Road. Whenever a unit moves from a hex, if a road exits that hex in the direction of movement, then that unit is considered to be moving along the road.
River Barrier. Only Infantry units can cross hex sides marked with a river barrier, including while retreating.
Compass. This indicates which side of the board Allied reinforcement units enter from.
Setting up the Board
Place units on the board as indicated by the printed silhouettes. Each black line under a unit silhouette indicates an additional unit of that type. Place one gray chip under the plastic unit piece for each gray line shown under it.
Example: In Prüm, place 1 Axis Infantry with 2 chips under it, 1 Axis Tank with 1 chip under it, and 1 Axis Artillery in the hex.
Place the turn marker on the turn track and the victory point marker on the victory point track.
Off-board Area
The area in front of you is your off-board area. This is where you place your reinforcement charts, Trucks, off-board Supply tokens, and air units. Any Trucks or Supply tokens in the off-board area may be moved onto the board during the reinforcement portion of the Movement & Reinforcement phase (Supply tokens must be brought on by Trucks).
The Allies player starts the game with 3 reinforcement charts, 5 Trucks, 3 Bombers, and 9 Fighters in their off-board area.
The Axis player starts with 1 reinforcement chart, 2 Trucks, 1 Bomber, and 3 Fighters in their off-board area.
Reinforcement Charts
The Allies have 3 reinforcement charts labeled "Northern", "Southern", and "Western." The Axis has 1 reinforcement chart.
Place units on the reinforcement charts as indicated by the printed unit silhouettes like you did when setting up the game board. Each row on the chart corresponds to a particular turn. In order, the turns are: Red (turn 1), Blue, Green, Yellow, Black, Gray, Purple, and White (turn 8).
Surprise Attack. Historically, the Axis had most of their available units for the operation already on the front line for the surprise attack. Thus, the Allied forces have better reinforcements than the Axis on almost every turn. However, since the Axis starts with a much greater number of units, they are still a great threat to the Allied line.
The Combat Strips
There are six combat strips—one each for Infantry, Tanks, Artillery, Trucks, Supplies, and air units. Slide these strips under the board in a convenient location so that they are next to each other in the listed order from left to right. Slide them in so that only the ends with the name of the unit and the finger hole are sticking out from under the board.
Plastic Chips
Use plastic chips to save space in overcrowded hexes. Putting a gray chip under a unit shows that there is an additional unit of that unit type in the hex. Putting a red chip under a unit shows that there are an additional five units of that unit type in the hex.
An Infantry with 2 gray chips under it counts as 3 Infantry. A Tank with 1 red chip under it counts as 6 Tanks.
Units
This section provides detailed information for each unit in the game. Keep any units you aren't using in your game tray. Whenever a unit gets destroyed, put it back into the game tray unless it's an air unit, in which case it returns to your off-board area.
Zone of Control
Infantry, Tank, and Artillery units exert a zone of control in a one hex radius around them.
- Whenever a ground unit enters or leaves a hex that falls within an enemy zone of control, its movement stops.
- A ground unit can't retreat to a hex that falls within an enemy zone of control.
Zone of control affects enemy movement and retreating, and will be referred to throughout this rulebook.
Combat Units
Only the combat units attack in this game. Whenever you attack with a combat unit, you roll a number of dice equal to its attack power.
Infantry
Axis: German Army — U.K.: British National Army — U.S.: U.S. Army
- Attack Power: 1
- Movement: One hex.
Tank
Axis: Panther — Allies: Sherman
- Attack Power: 2
- Movement: One hex off-road, or any number of hexes along connected road hexes (unless entering or leaving a hex in an enemy zone of control or entering an enemy-controlled city or town). A Tank may not move both on-road and off-road in the same turn, except when blitzing (see below). Tanks can't move across river barriers.
Special Abilities
Blitz: If you pay an extra Supply token to activate a hex for movement, all Tanks starting in that hex may perform a blitz maneuver. This allows them to make one extra move of 1 hex (even on a road) after they finish with their normal move. Regardless of the nature of its normal move, a Tank may make its blitz move either on-road or off-road and into and/or out of an enemy zone of control or enemy-controlled city or town. This allows Tanks to get behind enemy lines, move easily through enemy zones of control, and make tactical maneuvers more easily.
Artillery
Axis: 10.5 cm Howitzer — Allies: 105 mm Howitzer
- Attack Power: 3
- Movement: One hex. Artillery can't move across river barriers.
Fighter
German: ME-109G — U.K.: Spitfire — U.S.: P-38 Lightning
- Attack Power: 1
- Movement: You can place a Fighter in any hex, including in an enemy-controlled one. It doesn't count toward the stacking limit. You don't pay a Supply token to place a Fighter, and they aren't affected by enemy zones of control.
Bomber
German: JU-88 — U.K.: Halifax — U.S.: B-17
- Attack Power: 4
- Movement: You can place a Bomber in any hex, including in an enemy-controlled one. It doesn't count toward the stacking limit. You don't pay a Supply token to place a Bomber, and they aren't affected by enemy zones of control.
Non-Combat Units
Non-combat units don't add any attack dice when attacking, but they still may be hit when their hex is attacked.
Truck
German: Opel 3 ton — U.S.: CMP truck
- Movement: A Truck can move any number of hexes along roads (unless entering or leaving a hex in an enemy zone of control or entering an enemy-controlled city or town). It can't move off-road. You don't pay a Supply token to move a Truck.
Special Abilities
Carry Units: Each Truck has six spaces to carry Infantry, Artillery, and/or Supply tokens, in any combination. Each unit or token takes up one space on the Truck.
On-Board Loading: If a Truck has spaces open and hasn't yet finished its move, it can pick up on-board Infantry and Artillery if their hex has been activated for movement and they haven't moved yet. Trucks can also pick up on-board Supply tokens, even in an enemy zone of control.
Off-Board Loading: Off-board Trucks can be loaded with any off-board reinforcements available, regardless of which of your reinforcement charts they're coming from. (This is because a Truck would have time to drive around and pick up the reinforcements from various locations.) Off-board Trucks can also be loaded with off-board Supply tokens.
Dropping Off: At the end of the Movement & Reinforcement phase, each Truck must drop off all of its cargo into the hex in which it stopped its movement, even if it is in an enemy zone of control. This is the only time a Truck can drop off its contents in a turn. Supply tokens can't be used while they're still on a Truck.
Return: At the beginning of the Movement & Reinforcement phase, before either player moves, you may return any of your "free" Trucks to your off-board area (see Movement & Reinforcement).
Supply Token
Supply tokens represent supply depots that provide fuel, ammunition, and food for the troops. A Supply token can't move on its own or attack (outside of anti-aircraft fire), but it can be hit.
Supply Issues. Historically, the Allies didn't have many supply issues, while the Axis struggled with a shortage of fuel. Part of the Axis plan is to capture Allied-controlled Supply tokens and use them to help fuel their war effort. As the Allies, be careful where you leave your Supply tokens, and as the Axis, take note of where they are vulnerable and commandeer them!
Sequence of Play
An Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge game is played in a series of turns. Each turn has a color associated with it. In order, the turns are: Red (turn 1), Blue, Green, Yellow, Black, Gray, Purple, and White (turn 8).
A turn consists of four phases, followed in order.
Phase 1: Air Combat
If it's before the fifth turn, IGNORE this phase. Go to Phase 2: Ground Combat instead.
On the Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow turns, the weather is bad so aircraft can't fly. Skip this phase on those turns.
On the Black, Gray, Purple, and White turns, the weather clears up and aircraft can fly—proceed with this phase by following the four steps outlined below.
Air Superiority. The Axis planned their surprise attack under the cover of winter weather in order to help nullify the air superiority of the Allied forces. Historically, the bad weather lasted several days into the battle, and no reliable air support could be sent. Once the weather cleared up, the Allies were able to provide air cover to the ground forces and helped turned the battle around.
(1) Air Combat Initiative Roll
Each player rolls a die. The high roller chooses who places air units first. Reroll ties.
(2) Place Air Units
The Allies player deploys a total of 3 bombers and 9 fighters. The Axis player deploys 1 Bomber and 3 Fighters. This is true no matter how many air units were destroyed on previous turns.
The player chosen by the player who won the Air Combat Initiative places all of his or her air units in any hexes they choose, and then the other player does the same. Air units don't count toward the stacking limit and don't exert a zone of control. No Supply token is needed to place air units.
(3) Resolve Combat
After all air units are placed, the player who placed their air units first chooses which hex to perform air combat on first. Once the attack on that hex has finished, the players alternate choosing which hex to resolve, one at a time, until all hexes with air units are resolved.
Resolve air combat using the following three steps:
I. Dogfighting
If both players have air units in the same hex, a dogfight occurs. Enemy air units in a hex continue to attack each other simultaneously in dogfighting rounds until one side is eliminated.
Use the following steps to resolve each dogfighting round:
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Each player simultaneously rolls one die for each air unit they have in the hex (note that Bombers roll only one die each during a dogfight, not four). A hit is any result of 6 or less.
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Then each player assigns their hits to the other player's air units by taking turns using the air unit combat strip. Any air unit that is hit at least once is destroyed after both players have assigned hits. Extra hits assigned to an air unit are wasted. (Dogfight hits are calculated in a similar way to regular attacks, and are explained further in the Using the Air Unit Combat Strip sidebar.)
II. Anti-Aircraft Fire
After dogfighting is finished, anti-aircraft fire takes place. The player with ground units in that hex rolls 1 die per unit type in the hex (not one die per unit). Unit types are Infantry, Tank, Artillery, Trucks, and Supply tokens (for a maximum of 5 dice rolled for anti-aircraft fire).
Assign hits to the defending air units using the air unit combat strip (similar to regular attacks, and as explained in the Using the Air Unit Combat Strip sidebar). Any air unit that is hit at least once is destroyed (it's returned to its owner's off-board area). Extra hits assigned to an air unit are wasted.
III. Air Units Attack
After anti-aircraft fire, your remaining air units make an attack on ground units in the targeted hex. Air units attack without needing to pay Supply tokens. Roll the appropriate total number of dice:
- Fighter: 1 attack die
- Bomber: 4 attack dice
Assign hits as you would during the Ground Combat phase using the combat strips.
Note: It is possible that attacked units can retreat into a hex in which air combat has not yet been resolved. Such units may be attacked again in that hex.
(4) Return Air Units
Return all your air units to your off-board area.
Using the Air Unit Combat Strip
When your air units are being attacked during a dogfight or anti-aircraft fire, pull out the air unit combat strip until you've pulled out a number of boxes at least equal to the number of defending air units and place those air units on it, starting with your Fighters in the upper left. Place your Fighters down the first column, wrapping up to the top of the second column if needed, and then place your Bombers when you run out of Fighters to place.
Assign hits to air units from attack dice as you would assign hits to other units in the Ground Combat phase, starting the count from the upper left of the air unit combat strip and counting down, wrapping up to the right column when you've reached the bottom of the left one, and back to the top of the left if you've reached the bottom of the right.
Anti-Aircraft Example: A small Axis force (comprised of 4 unit types) attacks 2 Allied Fighters and 1 Allied Bomber and rolls 1, 3, 4, 8. The 1 destroys a Fighter, the 3 destroys a Bomber, the 4 wraps back around to the first fighter (there's no air unit in the "4" position), and the 8 misses.
Phase 2: Ground Combat
Players take turns attacking hex-by-hex with their ground units. Ground units can attack enemy ground units in adjacent hexes. On the first turn, Allied units don't attack.
Ground Combat Initiative Roll
On each turn after the first, roll to see who attacks first. High roll wins the initiative. Reroll ties. The player who wins the roll starts ground combat first and goes through steps 1-8 outlined below.
Axis Surprise Attack. On the first turn of the game, the Allies player doesn't attack. This demonstrates the element of surprise that the Axis had, and the overwhelming assault that ensued in the first few days of the battle.
(1) Choose Attacking Hex
The player who currently has the initiative chooses a hex to attack from (this will be the Axis player on the first turn). You can only choose to attack from any one of your hexes that hasn't already attacked this turn.
(2) Choose Target Hexes
Choose any number of adjacent hexes to attack that contain enemy units. Enemy units can include Infantry, Tanks, Artillery, Trucks, and Supply tokens.
Note: Attacked enemy units do not fire back. They must wait for their turn to attack. That's why initiative is so important.
(3) Pay Supply Tokens
For each enemy hex chosen in step 2, pay one Supply token. To pay a token, draw one from the attacking hex or a hex adjacent to the attacking hex that is on your side of the front line and that doesn't contain enemy units.
For each Supply token you pay, flip it over to the arrow side and put it on the edge of the attacking hex, pointing in the direction of the attack.
If you have chosen to split your attacks from your hex in more than one direction, decide now which of your units in your attacking hex will attack which hexes and announce that to the other player. Then resolve each of those split attacks in the order you choose, using steps 4-7 below, before passing initiative to the other player.
Example: The Axis player wants to attack the Allies in Martelange. The Axis player flips over a Supply token and places it on the edge of the hex, facing west. The Axis player could have decided to split their attack from this hex and also attacked the Allies to the northwest. In that case, the Axis player would have flipped over 2 Supply tokens and placed both on the edge of the hex, one facing west and the other facing northwest.
(4) Prepare Combat Strips
Pull out the combat strips from under the board using the finger holes so that the number of boxes showing represents the number and type of units in the defending hex.
Example: The Axis player attacks Martelange, which contains 2 Infantry, 1 Tank, 1 Truck, and 1 Supply token. Pull the Infantry strip out 2 spaces, the Tank strip out 1 space, the Truck strip out 1 space, and the Supply strip out 1 space. Leave the Artillery and air unit strips "tucked in."
(5) Attack Roll
Roll a number of attack dice equal to the total attack power of your attacking units. (Roll 1 die for each Infantry, 2 dice for each Tank, and 3 dice for each Artillery.)
You may choose to roll less than the allotted dice if you wish by holding back certain units from the attack. Any units you choose to hold back can't attack this turn. You must announce your intent to hold back units before rolling any of your dice.
Each die result of 6 or less counts as a hit.
Example: The Axis attacks with 1 Infantry, 2 Tanks, and 1 Artillery, which totals 8 attack dice (1 for the Infantry, 2 for each Tank, and 3 for the Artillery). The Axis player rolls 8 dice and gets: 1, 3, 3, 4, 5, 8, 8, 10. That's 5 hits.
(6) Assign Hits
Place each die that scores a hit on one of the combat strip boxes. To place a die, count out its number of boxes, starting with the topmost (closest to the game board) Infantry and working down, then to the Tanks column working downward, then to Artillery, then Trucks, then Supply tokens, until you've counted to the number on the die. If you reach the last unit box and haven't reached the die's number yet, wrap around to the first box and continue counting until you've reached the number.
When you've counted out a number of boxes equal to the hit number, place the hit die there. Repeat this for each die that scored a hit.
Example: The Allied Tank, Truck, and Supply token are destroyed. And one of the Allied Infantry is forced to retreat.
(7) Resolve Hits
Resolve hits as follows:
- For each Infantry, Tank, and Artillery box with one hit, a corresponding unit in the defending hex retreats.
- For each Infantry, Tank, and Artillery box with two hits, a corresponding unit in the defending hex is destroyed.
- For each hit in the Truck box, one Truck in the defending hex is destroyed.
- For each hit in the Supply box, one Supply token in the defending hex is destroyed.
If you score more hits than needed to destroy a unit, those hits are wasted.
Destroying Units. To destroy a ground unit, remove it from the game (put it back in the tray).
Retreating Units. To retreat a unit, the owning player moves it one hex from its current location, with the following restrictions:
- It can't retreat to a hex that falls within an enemy zone of control.
- It can't retreat to a hex that has already reached its stacking limit.
- It can't retreat to a partial (grayed out) hex or off-board.
- A Tank or Artillery unit can't retreat across a river barrier.
Note that a unit can retreat to a hex on the other side of the front line, even a city or town, if that hex meets the above restrictions.
The order and direction of each retreating unit is determined by the owning player (not all units need retreat to the same hex).
If a unit that has taken one hit is unable to retreat because of any of these restrictions, it's destroyed.
Note: If all enemy units are destroyed and/or retreated, the attacking units do not advance into the cleared hex. Movement is done in phase 3.
(8) Pass the Initiative
Once all attacks from the chosen hex have been resolved, the initiative passes to the other player. That player now goes through steps 1-8. If that player decides not to make an attack, or is not eligible to make one, then initiative reverts back to the other player. When both players choose not to do any more attacks, ground combat is done for the turn.
End of Ground Combat
When both players have no more attacks, remove all the arrow-side-up Supply tokens from the board and put them back into the tray.
Rolling More Than 12 Attack Dice
In cases when you get more than 12 total attack dice, roll all 12 dice included in the game and assign all of your hits on the combat strips using the gray plastic chips instead of putting the dice on the strips. Reroll as many of the attack dice as needed, and continue assigning hits in this manner until you have completed your attack roll.
If There Are More Than 6 Defending Units
In cases where there are more than 6 defending units, count the number of dice that scored a hit, but instead of assigning them to the boxes, reroll them first and assign them based on that new rerolled number of 1 to 12. (Twelve is the maximum number of unit boxes that can be used for a defending hex).
Example: The Allies player decides to attack the hex to the east of Martelange. That hex contains 9 Axis units: 3 Infantry, 3 Tanks, 2 Artillery, and 1 Truck. The Allies player attacks with 2 Infantry and 4 Tanks, which totals 10 attack dice (2 for each Tank and 1 for each Infantry). The Allies player rolls 1, 2, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 10, 11.
The Allies player rolled 7 hits. Discard the three misses.
The Allies player rerolls the 7 dice that hit and gets 3, 6, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12.
Then the Allies player assigns those numbers to the combat strips. In this case, 1 Infantry, 1 Tank, and 1 Truck are destroyed, and 1 Infantry and 1 Artillery are retreated.
Phase 3: Movement & Reinforcement
During this phase, the Axis player moves their ground units on the board and then reinforces. Then the Allies player moves their ground units on the board and then reinforces.
At the beginning of this phase (before either player moves), each player may return any of their "free" Trucks that are on the board to their off-board area. Free Trucks are Trucks that meet one of the following conditions:
- They are not in an enemy zone of control and can trace a path on roads to a friendly edge of the board without passing through an enemy zone of control or enemy-controlled city or town.
- They are in a hex that is in an enemy zone of control, but is also on a friendly edge of the board and has a road going off the board in that hex.
Example: The Allied Truck in Ortheuville is in an enemy zone of control and can't be returned to the off-board area at the beginning of the Movement & Reinforcement phase. However, the other Allied Truck isn't in an enemy zone of control and can trace a path on open roads to a friendly edge of the board, so it can be returned.
Movement
First, one hex at a time, the active player moves all of their ground units already on the board.
Paying For Movement. You pay a Supply token to activate all Infantry, Tanks, and Artillery in a hex for movement, allowing the use of those units in that hex at the time the token is paid, similar to attacking. You may activate a hex by spending a token from that hex or any adjacent hex behind the front line with no enemy units in it. All movement must be paid for before any movement is executed, so Supply tokens cannot be moved and then used to move units in their new hex.
You may immediately move units you pay for, or in the case of Infantry and Artillery, designate them to be picked up by a Truck later during the reinforcement part of the phase.
When you pay the Supply token, flip it over to the arrow side in the activated hex as a reminder of which units have been activated and the direction they moved. If units in a hex moved in multiple directions, pick one direction to face the arrow.
Trucks and Supply tokens move without paying Supply tokens.
Note: It is not possible to voluntarily destroy Supply tokens. However, it is possible to waste them through "useless" movement, such as moving a Tank so that it ends back where it started, including paying 2 Supply tokens to move it out of an enemy zone of control and then blitz back in. Such actions must, of course, follow the rules.
Basic Movement Rules
- Whenever a ground unit enters or leaves a hex that falls within an enemy zone of control, its movement stops. This represents the caution needed to maneuver around enemy forces. (This also affects Tanks and Trucks moving along roads.) Note that a ground unit may always move at least one hex, so it may move from one hex within an enemy zone of control to an adjacent hex that is also within an enemy zone of control.
- Zone of control is described in the Units section as being exerted by an Infantry, Tank, and Artillery in a one hex radius.
- Whenever a ground unit enters an enemy-controlled city or town hex, its movement stops. This represents the congestion and chaos of traversing a town in wartime. (This affects Tanks and Trucks moving along roads.)
- Ground units can't move into a hex occupied by an enemy Infantry, Tank, or Artillery. However, Infantry, Tanks, and Artillery are able to move into a hex containing enemy Trucks and Supply tokens, commandeering them. Commandeering is described below.
- When moving through a hex, you don't gain control of it. Control of hexes is granted during the Board Upkeep phase.
- Once placed on the game board, Infantry, Tanks, Artillery, and Supply tokens can't be moved off-board. Trucks may leave the board only at the beginning of this phase (see above), and may not load cargo before doing so.
- Units can only be activated for movement once per turn.
Example: The Axis Tank moves westward along a road. When it gets to Bastogne, it enters an enemy zone of control and its movement stops. It can't continue along the road to Ortheuville, for example.
Stacking Limits
There is a maximum of 12 units per hex. Infantry, Tanks, Artillery, and Trucks all count as 1 unit each. Having any number of Supply tokens in a hex counts as 1 unit. In addition:
- A maximum of 6 Infantry may occupy a hex.
- A maximum of 6 Tanks may occupy a hex.
- A maximum of 3 Artillery may occupy a hex.
During the Board Upkeep phase, check to see if any hexes break the stacking limit.
Commandeering
If you move an Infantry, Artillery, or Tank into a hex containing enemy Trucks or Supply tokens, you will immediately capture those Trucks and tokens, and you will commandeer them when the front-line markers are updated. When you capture Trucks or tokens, it means that their owner can no longer move or use them. After you commandeer them, you own them and may use them as you please.
Note: Moving through such a hex is not sufficient to capture and commandeer enemy units. At least one unit must stop in the hex.
Example: An Allied Infantry moves into a hex containing an Axis Truck and 2 Axis Supply tokens. The Truck and Supply tokens are captured, and will be commandeered when the front line markers are updated.
Road Movement
Tanks and Trucks can move any number of hexes along a road (however, they must stop if they enter an enemy-controlled city or town or a hex within an enemy zone of control). You can tell if two hexes are connected by a road if the road flows from one hex into the other. Roads may also go over waterways and become bridges, but they still count as roads for this purpose.
Rivers
Some hex edges have rivers along them, blocking the movement of all ground units except Infantry. On the game board there are graphical representations of rivers, but many of them have bridges over them, which count as roads. The only river hex sides that actually block movement are shown as shaded areas on the corresponding hex edge. (See the River Barrier caption in Game Setup.) While they block movement, they have no effect on payment of Supply tokens or attacks. Rivers also affect retreating units.
Partial Hexes
Units can't enter the partial hexes (grayed out) on the edge of the game board.
Reinforcement
Each turn, after the active player has moved all of their ground units already on the board, they can reinforce.
The Allies player has three reinforcement charts and the Axis player has one. These charts list the units that can enter play when a player reinforces. Silhouettes on each sheet show how many and which types of units are available on each colored turn. Players don't pay Supply tokens for moving reinforcement units onto the board. (Exception: see Blitzing Tanks from Off-Board.)
Supply Income
Each turn, more Supply tokens become available for your troops. Take the appropriate amount from the tray and put them in your off-board area. These tokens can then be moved into the fray with Trucks. Keep your troops well supplied!
Players receive the following number of Supply tokens each turn:
- Axis: 9
- Allies: 11
Axis Reinforcements
The Axis reinforcement chart has troops labeled as coming from the 7th Army, 5th Panzer Army, and 6th Panzer Army. Combat units coming from those armies may be placed directly on any full hex on the eastern edge of the game board that is labeled with the name of the appropriate army, as long as that hex is not enemy-controlled (control is determined by the front line markers, as indicated in the Board Upkeep section). These hexes are shown in gray in the rulebook diagram.
After loading off-board Trucks (including any that returned at the beginning of this phase) with any desired off-board reinforcements, the Axis player may place off-board Trucks on any of the road hexes on the eastern edge of the game board that are under Axis control, regardless of where they or their cargo came from.
Allies Reinforcements
The Allied reinforcement charts are labeled "Northern", "Southern", and "Western". The non-Truck units from these charts may be placed directly in any full hex on the corresponding edge of the game board not in enemy control (shown as green hexes in the rulebook diagram — the red hexes are those behind the front line and thus under enemy control). These directions are indicated by the compass in the bottom right corner of the game board.
After loading off-board Trucks (including any that returned at the beginning of this phase) with any desired off-board reinforcements, the Allies player may place off-board Trucks on any of the road hexes on the western, northern, or southern edges of the game board that are under Allied control (control is determined by the front line markers), regardless of where they or their cargo came from.
Moving Reinforcements
When you place an Infantry or Artillery from off-board directly onto the game board, that unit's move is immediately ended (this restriction doesn't apply if it's loaded on a Truck). This is also true of Tanks placed on non-road hexes. If you place a Tank or Truck on a road hex from off-board and not in an enemy zone of control, its move is not ended. It may move along the road as if it was moving during the movement part of the Movement & Reinforcement phase, including, in the case of a Truck, potentially loading more cargo as it moves.
Blitzing Tanks from Off-Board
If you pay one off-board Supply token, you may blitz all the Tanks coming from one division or brigade on the reinforcement chart. You may do this for each division or brigade on your reinforcement chart. These Tanks act under blitzing rules (see the Tank unit entry).
Undeployed Reinforcements
If a player chooses not to deploy any of his or her reinforcements, that player keeps those units on their reinforcement chart and may place them during any later Movement & Reinforcement phase.
Undeployed Supply tokens carry over to the next turn.
Removing Used Supply Tokens
Once each player has finished with their movement and reinforcement, remove all of the Supply tokens that have been flipped over to their arrow side from the game board and return them to the tray.
Phase 4: Board Upkeep
Update the board elements to reflect the progress made during the turn.
Update Front Line Markers
The bulge in the front line is recorded with front line markers. As the units move around the board, the front line will change.
The front line markers are placed such that they are between the Axis units and the Allied units. When the Axis presses into Allied territory, the markers are updated to show that progress. Anything on the Axis side of the line is Axis controlled, and the same is true for the Allies.
When updating the front line, a hex containing an Axis unit will also claim control of the 3 hexes on the eastern three sides of it (towards Germany), unless there is an Allied Infantry, Tank, Artillery, Truck, or Supply token there, or an Allied-controlled city or town that hasn't been occupied yet by an Axis Infantry, Tank, or Artillery.
Allied units can claim an Axis hex, but they don't get the 3 hexes on its western sides. This represents the Axis push and the creation of the bulge in the line. It's very difficult for the Allies to retake lost ground during this time.
Example: The Axis player claims Vielsalm because there are 2 Axis Tanks occupying it. The Axis also claims Bastogne (and the hex to its southeast since it's one of the 3 hexes on the eastern side of Bastogne). However, the Axis doesn't claim the hex to the northeast of Bastogne, because it contains an Allied-controlled Supply token and it's an Allied city that has yet to be occupied by an Axis unit.
If a hex gets cut off from the front line, it's still under the control of the player who controlled it last until it's taken.
Commandeer Enemy Units
During movement, if you had moved an Infantry, Artillery, or Tank into a hex containing an enemy Truck or Supply tokens, you will commandeer those Trucks and tokens when the front line markers are updated. If you commandeer Trucks or tokens, it means that you will own them to use starting on your next turn.
Enforce Stacking Limit
If any hexes are in violation of stacking limits, the opponent of the offending units may move them into an adjacent hex as if they were retreated (see Retreating Units). If there isn't a legal hex to retreat to, then the owner of the offending units must destroy units in that hex until the stacking limits are satisfied.
Update Victory Track
Move the victory point marker on the victory point track to reflect the Axis victory point total, as it may have changed due to newly captured or lost cities and towns. You are considered to control a city or town if it's on your side of the front line.
Advance Turn Marker
Move the turn marker to the next turn, unless it's the White turn, in which case the game ends.
Winning the Game
As soon as the Axis player has achieved 24 victory points, the game ends and they win the game. At the end of the eighth turn, if the Axis player doesn't have that many points yet, then the game ends and the Allies player wins.
Optional Rules
Once you've played a few games, you may want to try one of these optional rules.
Ongoing Campaign
Keep records of your games. See what is the best Axis or Allied score you can achieve. Reverse roles and compare the results. Keep a tally of your Axis scores over multiple games and see who comes out ahead over time.
Custom Setup
At the beginning of the game, the Allies player may set up their starting units, including the Supply tokens, in any hexes on their side of the front line, with the limitation that the combat units must exert zone of control over every hex on the Axis side of the front line.
After the Allies set up, then the Axis player sets up their units, including Supply tokens, with the same limitations, except the starting units can't be redistributed out of their army's designated starting area (the three sections labeled 6th Panzer Army, 5th Panzer Army, and 7th Army).
Credits
Game Design: Larry Harris. Game Development: Nate Heiss and Bill McQuillan. Editing: Justin Webb and Kevin Chapman. Art Direction: Blake Beasley. Cover Illustration: Tommy Lee Edwards. Graphic Design: Leon Cortez. Photography: Leon Cortez.
Published by Renegade Game Studios. Avalon Hill, Axis & Allies, and their respective logos are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc.