Carrier Strike! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setting Up the Game
• Playing the Game
• Movement of Carriers
• Movement of Planes
• Torpedo Runs
• Dogfights
• Sacrifice Attacks
• Winning the Game
• Playing with Teams (3 or 4 Players)
• Helpful Strategy

Setting Up the Game

1. Select either red or yellow as your color.
2. Take the matching color pieces:
   • 2 carriers
   • 8 planes
   • 8 number discs
   • 12 torpedoes
   • 12 dogfight cards
3. Put a number disc, face down, in the base of each of your planes (FIG. 1). The numbers 1 through 4 refer to battle strength in dogfights: 4 represents the strongest "Ace" pilot; 1, the weakest.

NOTE: You may look at your pilot strength at any time during the game as long as you remember the exact space from which you lifted your plane.

4. Place the bases of four of your planes beneath and into the side of each carrier so that the planes are positioned along the broken-arrow stripe of the carrier deck (FIG. 2). You need not have one plane of each number aboard each carrier.
5. Insert six torpedoes into the side slot directly under each carrier deck (FIG. 3).
6. Place your loaded carriers anywhere on the grid-half designated by your color. Each carrier base should cover three spaces, with the handle on the line between two spaces of the next grid row (FIG. 4). If you place a carrier on the outside row, the handle may extend out beyond the grid. Two carriers may not occupy any adjacent space, side, front or back.

NOTE: Once play begins, you may move your planes and carriers anywhere over the entire board grid.

OBJECT: Be the first to destroy both of your opponent's aircraft carriers OR all of his planes.

Playing the Game

To Start:

1. Roll the standard dice. High roll goes first, and players take turns.
2. Before each of your moves, decide whether a. to roll the standard dice to launch and fly planes OR b. to roll the special dice marked T and F to move a carrier.

Movement of Carriers

1. When you roll F on the special dice, you must move one of your carriers one space forward in the direction of the arrow on its deck (FIG. 5).
2. When you roll T, you must turn one of your carriers either to the left or right. Pivot on the middle space the carrier occupies until it lines up with the next grid row. (FIG. 6).
3. Any planes or torpedoes on the carrier move with it.
4. Move any planes that directly block the movement of a carrier one space in the same direction that the carrier is moving, so that they end up in the same position in relationship to that carrier. (FIG. 7A & 7B).
5. If the movement of your carrier would place it partially off the board grid, or within an adjacent space to another carrier, the move is forfeited and your turn ends.
6. If the movement of your carrier would force a plane off the board grid, the move is forfeited and your turn ends.

Movement of Planes

1. When rolling the standard dice, move one plane the total dice count, or divide the total between two or more planes in any combination.
2. Planes may travel in any direction on the grid, counting from space to adjacent space. They need not travel along the straight grid rows as the carriers and torpedoes do.
3. The arrow-stripe on each carrier deck is broken into four parts. Planes are moved off the deck by counting each part as one space.
4. You must launch your planes off your carrier onto the space immediately in front of the carrier. Similarly, if you want to fly back to the carrier by dice count to pick up a torpedo, you must land your plane onto the unoccupied rear deck from the space directly behind the carrier.
5. When launching a plane, decide whether or not to take a torpedo with it as soon as it leaves the carrier. To carry a torpedo, remove one from under the carrier's deck and place it, face up, on top of the plane's number disc.

NOTE: Once your opponent has rolled one of the dice to indicate the beginning of his move, it is too late to take or return a torpedo.

6. Planes may not pass over, nor stop on, spaces occupied by other planes. Planes may share spaces with any advancing torpedoes.
7. Planes in flight may not pass over any carrier.

Torpedo Runs

1. To attack an enemy carrier, you must end the movement of a torpedo-carrying plane exactly six spaces from your opponent's carrier. Measure this distance by using the card-board battle span labeled "TORPEDO RUN." The torpedo must be aimed toward one of the three spaces occupied by the enemy carrier in line with a straight row of grid spaces. (FIG. 8).

NOTE: Torpedoes move in straight rows; planes move in any direction.

2. Drop the torpedo by tipping your plane forward to slide it out onto the space directly in front of your plane (5 spaces away from the enemy carrier). Place your plane immediately on the unoccupied rear deck of either one of your carriers.
3. If the rear deck space on both of your carriers is occupied, your returning plane is lost at sea and out of the game.
4. ALL torpedoes you have dropped are automatically moved one space, straight forward at the BEGINNING of each of your following turns.

NOTE: If you forget to do so before your opponent rolls the dice, you lose your torpedo from the game.

5. When your torpedo reaches a space occupied by an enemy carrier, you've made a hit. Place your torpedo on your opponent's carrier.
6. The first successful torpedo hit on a carrier automatically destroys all planes on board. Remove these planes from the game. If you make a second hit on the same carrier, that carrier, along with any planes and torpedoes aboard, is destroyed and removed.

IMPORTANT: Nothing can be done to stop a torpedo on its run towards a carrier except for that carrier to try, in turn, to move out of the torpedo path by roll of the special dice.

7. If successfully avoided by the enemy carrier, your torpedo continues to travel as before until it moves off the edge of the grid and is out of the game, or until, by chance, it hits another carrier, even if that carrier is your own.
8. A torpedo may occupy the same space as any plane or any other torpedo without destroying either one.

Dogfights

1. To attack an enemy plane, it must be in flight over the board grid. You must end the movement of your plane within four spaces of an enemy plane, in any direction, not necessarily along a straight row of grid spaces. Use the battle span labeled "DOGFIGHT" to measure this maximum distance. (FIG. 9).
2. At dogfight distance or closer, you may declare battle and indicate which plane you wish to fight at the END of your turn. Each of your planes may only engage one enemy plane, but more than one of your planes may engage other enemy planes in a turn.
3. Before any dogfight begins, lose torpedoes, if any, from both planes and remove them from play. If you are the challenger and are also at torpedo run distance from an enemy carrier, you may fire your torpedo, instead of just losing it. But your plane stays on the board for the dogfight instead of returning to a carrier. (This is an exception to Rule 2 under Torpedo Runs.)
4. Expose the strength of the battling pilots by tipping the planes, revealing the number discs through the base opening. One's represent the weakest pilots; 2's and 3's are stronger; while 4's represent the strongest "Ace" pilots. Determine dogfight advantage by subtracting your opponent's strength from your own or vice versa.

FOR EXAMPLE: Whoever has a pilot with a "4" rating has a one-point advantage over a "3", or a two-point advantage over a "2", and so on.

5. Both of you shuffle your dogfight cards. Cut each other's deck and deal yourselves five cards each from your own deck. If your pilot has a point or several point advantage, deal yourself that many extra cards.
6. Review your cards, selecting only the five with the highest number values, and return the rest, if any, to your deck. If your pilot has no point advantage, you must keep the five cards you have dealt. Place your cards, in any order, in a pile face down (numbers down) in front of you. The dogfight is ready to begin.
7. Both of you turn over the top cards from your own piles. The higher number scores a point. Ties do not score. Continue to play all five of your cards. Whoever scores the most points is the winner of the dogfight. Return all cards at the end of the battle.
8. If you win: place your plane immediately on the unoccupied rear deck space of one of your carriers. As before, if these spaces are occupied, the plane is lost at sea. If you lose: remove your plane from play. If both tie: remove both planes from play.

Sacrifice Attacks

1. Only if you run out of all twelve torpedoes, may you sacrifice your planes to score strikes on enemy carriers.
2. You must end the regular movement of your attacking plane exactly four spaces, in a straight line with a row of grid spaces, from any of the three spaces occupied by the enemy carrier. Use the "DOGFIGHT" span to check this distance. (FIG. 10).
3. Declare a sacrifice attack at the END of your turn. At the BEGINNING of following turns, automatically advance your attacking plane one space.
4. While your plane is advancing, your opponent may attempt to escape the attack by moving his carrier out of the way, in turn and by roll of the special dice. The attacking plane may be engaged in a dogfight on its way.
5. If your plane, in its turn, moves onto a space occupied by the enemy carrier, you've made a strike equal to that of a torpedo (See Rule 6 under "Torpedo Runs"). Your plane is lost and out of play, but place one of your previously lost torpedoes on the enemy carrier to mark the hit.
6. If your opponent avoids your sacrifice attack, your plane is lost and immediately removed from play. (It does not continue to travel as a torpedo does.)

Winning the Game

Play continues with players taking turns, rolling the dice and moving planes or carriers until:

1. You are the first player to sink both of your opponent's carriers OR
2. You are the first to destroy all of your opponent's planes.

Playing with Teams (3 or 4 Players)

Play as described above with the following differences:

1. If you are playing with a teammate, each of you commands a single carrier with its planes and torpedoes.
2. Each team is allowed two dice throws in a turn; one for the movement of each carrier or its planes.

NOTE: If you are playing alone, against a team of two players, you take the two dice throws; one for each carrier or its planes.

3. You may return your planes (after torpedo runs and dogfights) to your teammate's carrier if that carrier has an open rear deck space and your carrier does not. The plane is then your teammate's responsibility.

NOTE: This move may also be made if your carrier has no more torpedoes for your planes to carry.

4. If you lose your carrier, or have no planes left under your command, use your dice throw to move your teammate's carrier or planes.

NOTE: Good communications are essential. Consult with your teammate to develop the best strategies.

Helpful Strategy

1. When setting up the game, consider the starting location and direction of your carriers. The easier it is to reach your opponent's carriers, the greater the risk of receiving a surprise torpedo attack on your own ships. The further the distance to enemy carriers, the greater the opportunity to intercept planes in dogfights.
2. Try not to position carriers where their ability to avoid torpedoes might be blocked by other carriers or the grid's edge.
3. Always try to keep rear deck space on the carrier clear for returning planes. Failure to do so could result in the needless loss of planes.
4. Be careful to protect your strongest pilots. You don't want your best-piloted planes sitting on the deck when a torpedo strikes!
5. The best torpedo run to make---and the most difficult to avoid---is one aimed head-on at the front end of a carrier.