G.I. Joe Commando Attack
G.I. Joe Commando Attack Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
1 giant-size gameboard
1 box buildup with 4 roofs
1 parts sheet with 2 supply depot walls and 2 headquarter walls
1 parts sheet with 2 P.O.W. camps
1 pawn sheet with 12 G.I. Joe soldiers and 12 Cobra soldiers
24 pawn stands
4 dice (2 red, 2 white)
1 instruction booklet
1 iron-on G.I. Joe path
See the inside of the box cover for building assembly, soldier assembly, a description of the gameboard, and game setup.
If you'd like, you can substitute your G.I. Joe action figures (not included) for one or more of the soldiers! See the inside of the box cover for instructions.
Forces and Setup
The 12-member G.I. Joe platoon is made up of two 6-member squads: an orange squad and a red squad (you can tell by their background colors and the pawn stands you've placed them in). The 12-member Cobra platoon is also made up of two 6-member squads: a blue squad and a green squad. The inside of the box cover shows you how to set up the squads in their starting positions on the gameboard. Now you can team up for a game and begin the attack!
1. Teaming Up
No matter how many players are in the same G.I. Joe Commando Attack is a team game: the G.I. Joe team against the Cobra team. The number of players on a team depends on whether it's a 2-, 3-, or 4-player game. Here's how to team up for a game:
- G.I. Joe Team: 1 player, who controls both G.I. Joe squads and 1 white die.
- Cobra Team: 1 player, who controls both Cobra squads and 1 red die.
- G.I. Joe Team: 2 players, who control 1 G.I. Joe squads and 1 white die each.
- Cobra Team: 1 player, who controls both Cobra squads and both red die (1 die for each squad).
- G.I. Joe Team: 2 players, who controls 1 G.I. Joe squad and 1 white die each.
- Cobra Team: 2 players, who control 1 Cobra squads and 1 red die each.
If you have a teammate, you can plan your strategy together. Although you're not allowed to move your teammate's soldiers, you can help each other by plotting your moves together for the common cause: defeating the enemy and protecting your soldiers and your camp!
Once the teams have been decided, take a seat behind whichever squad or squads you chose.
2. Roll a Die for First Maneuver
Every turn in the game, including the first turn, begins with each team rolling a die for first maneuver. One member of each team is chosen to roll the die, and the opposing teams roll at the same time. The team rolling highest wins first maneuver for that turn. IF it's a tie, roll again.
3. Move Your Soldiers
On each turn, the team who wins first maneuver moves first; then the other team moves. To move your soldiers, roll a die for each squad you control. On the G.I. Joe team, the red squad moves first, then the orange squad. On the Cobra team, the blue squad moves first, then the green squad.
Movement rules are as follows:
a) First, roll a die for your squad. You can then move one soldier in the squad for each dot shown on the die. For instance, if you roll a 5, you can move five of your soldiers. If you've sustained casualties and don't have that many soldiers left, just move as many as you can, or want to. You don't have to move a soldier for every dot on the die. I you don't want to move that many , just move the ones you want to move. You can even skip a turn if you want all of your soldiers to stay where they are.
b) You can move your soldiers in any direction: forward, backward, to the left or right, or diagonally, as long as they move in a straight line. No curves or zig-zag maneuvers allowed! Each of your soldiers can move as far as you want it to, or until it encounters an obstacle (see c, OBSTACLES). Figure 1 shows you an example of soldier movement.
Figure 1 (caption as printed): On the first turn of this game, the G.I. Joe team won first maneuver.
The player controlling the red square rolled a "4" for soldier movement, and moved soldiers A, B, C, and D as shown.
The player controlling the orange squad has rolled a "2" for soldier movement, and plans to move soldiers A and C as shown.
c) OBSTACLES: Each time one of your soldiers encounters an obstacle, it must stop there. You can stop your soldier before it reaches an obstacle — but once it's on a square that contains an obstacle, it must stop there on that turn. The two obstacles are:
- Jungle Bushes: When your soldier lands on a jungle bush, it must stop. On your next turn, or any other turn, it can move away from the obstacle in any direction, as described in b, above.
- Rivers: Whenever your soldier lands on a river square, it must stop. Once it's in a river, your soldier can move along it and out of it (in a straight line) on a future turn, without having to stop again on that river obstacle.
d) You can move one or two — but no more than two — of the soldiers in your squad onto a square occupied by an enemy soldier (a soldier controlled by the opposing team). When this happens, combat occurs, as described in Rule 4.
You cannot move any of your soldiers onto a square occupied by one of your soldiers, or one of your teammate's soldiers. Only one G.I. Joe or Cobra soldier can occupy a square at a time, unless two soldiers from your squad attack an enemy soldier.
And no fair "ganging up" on the enemy by moving three or more of your soldiers onto an enemy-occupied square!
4. Combat
Combat takes place whenever a soldier is moved onto a square occupied by a soldier from the opposing team. A battle can be waged on any square on the gameboard — on open ground, in the bushes, in the river, and even at the entrance to the enemy camp. If you move into a combat situation, resolve combat immediately after all your moves have been made, before the next player rolls the die for movement. Here is how combat is resolved:
At the same time, each player involved in combat rolls one die. The highest roller wins the battle. In case of a tie, the attacker wins.
When you win a battle, place the defeated enemy soldier into your P.O.W. camp. If you lose the battle, the winner takes your defeated soldier and places it in his or her P.O.W. camp.
Attacking with Two Soldiers: You have a definite advantage if you attack the enemy with two soldiers from your squad. Since its two against one, your opponent rolls two die, and you borrow your teammate's die and roll two! Pick the highest number of the two dice you rolled, and compare it with the die number your opponent rolled. The highest roll wins. If it's a tie, the attacker wins.
If you've attacked the enemy with two soldiers, and you roll higher than your opponent you win the battle. Take the enemy soldier and place it in your P.O.W. camp. If your opponent rolls higher than either of the dice you rolled, your opponent takes one of your soldiers and places it in her P.O.W. camp. Then you continue the battle on a one-to-one basis, each of you rolling one die. The winner takes the defeated soldier and places it in his or her P.O.W. camp.
If two of your soldiers are left on a square after combat, you must move at least one of them off the square on your next turn.
5. Sabotaging the Enemy Supply Depot
A successful mission against the enemy supply depot will damage your opponent's combat ability. The result is that two of the enemy soldiers will run out of ammunition and will be forced to surrender.
To sabotage the enemy supply depot, move one of your soldiers onto the entrance square of the opposing team's supply depot. Once the soldier is at the entrance, wait until the end of your next turn, and roll a die. If the number is even (2, 4 or 6), your mission has been successful! You can now choose two soldiers from the opposing team — one from each squad, or two from either squad — and place them in your P.O.W. camp. The soldier on the entrance square of the supply depot must remain there until you want to move it on a future turn.
If you roll an odd number (1, 3 or 5), you must wait until the end of your next turn, and try again. But beware of an enemy attack while your soldier waits at the entrance!
6. Freeing Your Captured Soldiers
A successful mission against the enemy P.O.W. camp will release all of your team's captured soldiers within it. To allow your team's soldiers to escape, move one of your soldiers onto the entrance of the enemy P.O.W. camp.
At the end of your turn, roll a die. If it's even (2, 4 or 6), your team's captured soldiers can escape and return to their starting positions back at the camp. The soldier on the entrance square must remain there until you want to move it on a future turn.
If you roll an odd number (1, 3 or 5), you must wait until the end of your next turn, and roll again.
7. Your Miltiary Objective: Attacking Enemy Headquarters
Invading enemy headquarters will win the game for your team. But be careful — it's likely to be the most heavily-defended area, and it won't be easy to infiltrate enemy lines to get there.
To invade enemy headquarters, move a soldier form your squad onto either of the two entrance squares. Or move one soldier from your squad onto each of the two entrance squares.
Once your soldier is on an entrance square, wait until the end of your next turn, and roll a die. If two soldiers from your squad are at the entrance (one on each entrance square), roll two dice. If you roll an odd number (1, 3 or 5), or two add numbers for two soldiers, you will have to wait until the end of your next turn to roll again. But if you roll an even number (2, 4 or 6) for any soldier on an entrance square, your attack mission against enemy headquarters is a success, and your team wins the game!
Congratulations on your superb military strategy — you've just defeated the enemy!
Basic Trainee Rules (Ages 6 and 7)
The rules are basically the same for basic trainees (ages 6 and 7), but we have modified them a little less complicated tactical maneuvering. The only differences are in 1) Movement, and 2) Attacking the enemy supply depot, P.O.W. camp, and headquarters. Both of these differences are explained below. Otherwise, the rules are the same.
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Movement: Basic trainee rules permit soldiers to be moved forward, backward, and to either side in a straight line — but not diagonally. Otherwise, movement rules are the same.
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Attacking the Enemy Supply Depot, P.O.W. Camp, and Headquarters: To attack the enemy camp (the supply depot, the P.O.W. camp, or the headquarters itself) in a basic trainee game, just move a soldier onto the entrance square, as described in the rules above.
Once on the entrance square, if your soldier can stay there throughout the opposing team's next turn without being captured in battle, your mission is successful!