Omicron Protocol Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• About This Booklet
• Components
• Objective of the Game
  • Competitive Mode
  • Solo/Cooperative Mode
• Key Concepts
  • Action Points (AP)
  • Character or Model
  • Icon Key
  • Measuring Distances
• Competitive Mode
  • A Note on Solo/Cooperative Mode
  • Game Sequence
  • Number of Players for Competitive Mode
• 1. Game Setup
  • Choose Factions
  • Choose Scenario
    • How to Read a Scenario Card
    • Hands on Research Scenario (First Playthrough Modified Version)
  • Set Up Terrain
    • Types of Terrain
    • Set Up Spawn Points
  • Select Characters
  • Distribute Resources
• 2. Round Structure
  • a. Setup Phase
    • Player Order
    • AP Pool Generation
    • Forage Card Draw
  • b. Activation Phase
    • Character Activation
    • Action Summary
    • Actions in Detail
  • Ability Markers
  • Standard Abilities Definitions
  • Surge Abilities
• 3. End Game

About This Booklet

How to Play (HTP) builds off of the rules you learned in the Quick Start Guide (QSG), so please play through that guide before reading this booklet! We will not repeat here many of the rules you learned in the QSG.

We suggest you follow the recommended scenario and characters in this booklet to set up your first complete game. If any rules are unclear, just make some agreed-upon assumptions and move on. You WILL make mistakes in your first game, and that is OK! This booklet omits many detailed rules, examples and edge cases in favor of getting you to learn the flow of the game and to play your first game faster.

Once you have a basic understanding of how the complete game flows, you can play more scenarios, use different characters, and dig deeper into the tactics of the game via the Rules Reference & Scenarios (RR&S). Some of you may prefer to dive into the details of the rules immediately, in which case, each section in this booklet will point you to the relevant sections of the RR&S book.

Components

• 6 Survivalists: Artemis, Gadget, Lucky, Seeker, Sergiy, Thug
• 6 Peacemakers: Bolt, Buck, Flash, Nix, Pai, Lance
• 4 Snare models/tokens
• 24 CyMS: 4 each of Glitch, McFly, One Shoe Sean, Prada, Punk Girl, Stiletto
• Note: Some boxes have no models and may only contain standees.
• Cards: 17 Character Cards, 2 Faction Cards, 4 CyMS Reference Cards, 4 Trap/Snare Reference Cards and 4 Reference Cards, 36 Forage Cards, 8 Scenario Cards, 30 Solo Cards
• Various 1-7 hex terrain
• Objective Tiles: 1 Research Console, 4 Med Tent, 4 Vault, 4 Crate
• Short Terrain Tiles: 4 Planters, 4 Benches, 4 Barrels, 2 Dumpsters, 2 Sandbags
• Tall/Impassible Terrain Tiles: 4 Barrier Terrain, 4 Barrier Terrain, 2 Food Vendor
• Tokens: 40 Luck, 10 Stun, 8 KO, 10 Burning, 10 Objective, 10 Impassable, 1 Special AP, 16 Action Points, 6 Spawn Points, 12 Ability Markers
• 1 Omicron Protocol double-sided hex-grid board
• 16 six-sided dice: 8 white dice used for EM Noise Dice; 8 black dice used for performing actions in the game
• Rulebooks: the Quick Start Guide, How to Play, Rules Reference & Scenarios, and Solo/Cooperative Rules.

Objective of the Game

Competitive Mode

The main objective of Competitive Mode is to score more victory points (VP) than your opponent in the selected scenario, within the scenario-defined End Game Criteria. The various methods of scoring VP will be different and defined in each scenario.

SPORTSMANSHIP: When Omicron Protocol is played with competing players, there may be moments of frustration and disappointment as, ultimately, only one player can win. During moments of defeat, remember that you are sitting near a friend, sharing a story in a fictional future world, and playing with little toy people. Smile - things could always be worse; YOU could be in San Lazaro!

Solo/Cooperative Mode

The main objective of the solo/cooperative mode is to score a specified amount of VP in the set number of rounds for that scenario. The requirements for both VP and rounds are defined in each scenario.

Key Concepts

The following concepts and keywords are important to get started with the game. If you have any questions that are not answered in this booklet, you can look up the specific keywords or terms in the RR&S book.

Action Points (AP)

Each player starts a round with a number of Action Points (AP), called the AP Pool, which may be spent during that player's character activations to perform various actions (e.g. Attack, Charge, or activate a special ability). Whether in these rules or on any card, when an action requires you to spend AP, it will either be displayed as "# AP", where # is the number of AP required to perform the action, or as a number in the "AP column" on a Character Card. For instance, it costs 1 AP to perform an Attack action, while it may cost 3 AP to activate a special ability.

• All standard actions that require AP are described in detail throughout these rules.
• Special character abilities that require AP are described on the Character Cards.
• Scenario-specific actions that require AP are described on the Scenario Cards or the RR&S book.
• Track the unspent AP Pool by using the AP Tokens.
• When a character spends AP, track the spent AP by taking the AP Tokens from the AP Pool and placing them on that character's card.
• AP is not allocated to a character until they declare an action with an AP cost.

Character or Model

• Model - Any game miniature (or standee) that represents a character or CyMS.
• Character - All models that are not CyMS.
• Friendly Characters - Characters that are controlled by you.
• Non-Friendly Characters - Characters that are NOT controlled by you.
• Non-Friendly Models - Models that are NOT friendly characters.

The word "model," wherever it is used in our rulebooks, refers to both the miniatures and the standees.

Icon Key

• Knocked Out, see "RR&S > Knocked Out."
• Ability may be used once per round.
• Tech ability, see "RR&S > Abilities".
• Standard ability, see "RR&S > Abilities > Standard Abilities".
• Sustained effect, see "RR&S > Sustained".

Measuring Distances

There are many abilities, actions, movement, and other rules related to distances. These will usually involve the words "range," "within," or "# of hexes." For detailed examples and illustrations regarding measuring distances, see "RR&S > Measuring Distances."

Competitive Mode

A Note on Solo/Cooperative Mode

The solo/cooperative rules are in the Solo/Cooperative Rules booklet, along with the scenarios for solo/cooperative games. Most of the mechanics are identical to the competitive mode, so we recommend you first play through one round of the competitive mode in this booklet (playing both sides if you're playing solo), so you can quickly learn about scenarios and round structure. Once you play through at least one round, you can read how the Solo/Cooperative Rules modifies the competitive mode rules.

Game Sequence

The following shows the game sequence structure of Omicron Protocol. Some phases will be modified for the HTP, but the structure remains the same as a complete game.

1. Game Setup
   • a. Choose Factions
   • b. Choose Scenario
   • c. Set Up Terrain
   • d. Select Characters
   • e. Distribute Resources
2. Round Structure
   • a. Setup Phase: i. Player Order; ii. AP Pool Generation; iii. Forage Card Draw
   • b. Activation Phase: i. Character Activation; ii. CyMS Activation
   • c. End Phase: i. CyMS Spawn; ii. Cleanup; iii. End Game Criteria
3. End Game
   • a. Tally Scores
   • b. Declare Winner
   • c. Shake Hands ... or Elbow Bump

Number of Players for Competitive Mode

The competitive mode of the game supports two to four players. Follow the guidelines below for how to play with different numbers of players.

• Two players: Each player controls all characters in a squad from the same faction and they go head-to-head in an all-out battle for the future of San Lazaro!
• Three players: Two players form a team and each controls half of the characters in their team's squad. The third player controls all characters in their squad.
• Four players: Players form teams of two, and each player controls half of the characters in their team's squad.

Follow the rules below for three- to four-player games:

• Players work together to decide what's best for the team, but the player controlling the activating character makes the final decision for that character;
• The AP Pool for the team is shared between the two players. Decide as a team how you want to share the AP throughout the round and the activations.

When playing as part of a team, you can replace these words in the rulebooks or card text with:

• Opponent = Opposing Team;
• Rival Player = Rival Team;
• You = Your Team (in most instances, except for when it relates to a character activation);
• Player = Team (except when used in this specific section).

1. Game Setup

Lay out the game board and pieces as shown in the booklet's setup illustration:

1. Put the 24 CyMS models next to the board within easy reach of all players. This is the "CyMS pool".
2. Set AP Tokens, Special AP Token, Condition Tokens, KO Tokens, Luck Tokens, EM Noise Dice, and player dice next to the board in easy reach of all players. The amount of tokens and dice is unlimited. You may use any substitutes you have on hand if you run out of physical components.
3. Shuffle and place the Forage Cards next to the board within easy reach of all players.
4. Choose either the Peacemakers or Survivalists faction to play for your first game.
5. Select the "Hands On Research" Scenario Card for this playthrough. Note that the starting areas are modified for this playthrough and are closer to the center of the map.
6. Set up the terrain, starting CyMS, and Spawn Points, as well as any Objective Tiles or Objective Tokens, according to the map for the "Hands On Research" scenario.
7. Select characters. For this playthrough, each player will play with two characters only (aka a "short game"), instead of four. The preselected characters will be described in the "Select Characters" step later in the booklet. This will help you learn how the round structure works, without overloading you with information.
8. Distribute one Luck Token to each character.

For a more detailed and general setup procedure, see "RR&S > Game Setup."

This setup procedure is modified to specify the factions and characters you should play in your first game.

Choose Factions

The players will choose to play either the Survivalists or Peacemakers. The Faction Card has: (1) Special Abilities, (2) Extraordinary Tactic, (3) Scenario Objective Points, (4) KO Character Points, (5) CyMS KO Points - see "How to Read a Scenario Card" below. At the bottom of each card are three bars to track your victory points (VP) while playing a game. These bubbles are simply there as a tracking tool and do not limit the amount of VP you can score in each section.

Choose Scenario

You will be playing the modified "Hands on Research" scenario described below. Find the Scenario Card or use the RR&S to learn about your goals for the game. The modifications we made for your first playthrough will be described below.

How to Read a Scenario Card

If there is a conflict between a scenario rule and a main rule, the scenario rule overrides the main rule.

1. Map: The scenario map determines how to set up the following:
   • a. Required terrain is displayed in the illustration. This indicates where to place terrain to set up the scenario.
   • b. Starting areas are marked as light blue hexes on the map. The first player chooses one side and deploys their squad in one of the two starting areas, and the second player deploys their squad in the other starting area. Note that the starting areas are modified for this playthrough and are closer to the center of the map. The actual Scenario Card will have starting areas that are further from the center.
   • c. CyMS starting points indicate where to place CyMS at the beginning of the game.
   • d. CyMS Spawn Points are where CyMS may spawn during the End Phase of the game.
   • e. Scenarios often have Objective Tiles or Tokens, and will be marked on the setup map for the scenario.
2. Special Rules: Describes any special rules that apply to the scenario.
3. CyMS Spawn: Describes how many CyMS to spawn per round during the "CyMS Round Spawn."
4. Scoring VPs: Describes how to gain VP during the scenario.
5. Scenario Objective Interactions: Special rules for interacting with Objective Tokens, Tiles, or Zones. These can be incidental, like moving into a zone to score VPs, or they can be actions that require AP to be spent.
6. End Game Criteria: The criteria that one player must achieve to trigger the final round of the game.
7. Tiebreak Rules

The Faction Card has: 1. Special Abilities: These are abilities that benefit every friendly character in the same faction. 2. Extraordinary Tactic: A special squad ability that can be triggered during a friendly activation (see "Extraordinary Tactic" later in this booklet). 3. Scenario Objective Points: Score VPs when you complete a scenario-specific objective. 4. KO Character Points: Score VPs when a non-friendly character is KO'd. 5. CyMS KO Points: Score 1 VP for every 5 CyMS you KO. You can use the "KO 5 CyMS" section to the right to mark each time you KO a CyMS. When you reach 5 KO'd CyMS, add a VP and reset the "KO 5 CyMs" section to zero.

Hands on Research Scenario (First Playthrough Modified Version)

The only modifications made to this scenario for your first playthrough are the number of rounds you play, and the starting area of your characters.

• Note that the starting area of the How to Play version of Hands on Research is different than in the full game. For this game, please use the starting area shown in the map illustration in the booklet.
• Number of Rounds: 3

Set Up Terrain

Set up the terrain, CyMS, Spawn Points, and starting area according to the modified "Hands on Research" scenario.

Types of Terrain

These types of terrain are used in the How to Play scenario you'll be playing. There are other types of terrain, which you can find described in the RR&S book.

Short: Short Terrain costs 2 hexes of movement during a Walk action to enter each hex of Short Terrain (i.e., it will cost 2 of your WALK value).

Tall: Tall Terrain is marked with a letter "T." Any hex containing Tall Terrain is considered occupied. Tall Terrain blocks LOS. Two models whose LOS is blocked by this terrain may not:

• Target each other with Attacks (even melee Attacks);
• Target each other with Targeted or Surge Abilities;
• Affect each other with Forage Cards;
• Affect each other with Pulse or Template AoE Abilities.

Set Up Spawn Points

The scenario map also shows you where CyMS Spawn Points should be placed.

CyMS Spawn Points are tiles that are placed on the board during game set up. Any time during the game that a new CyMS must be spawned, they will start on one of these tiles. The position of Spawn Points on the board varies based on scenario.

Each Spawn Point tile has art and a reference number. These are meant only for reference during the game, and have no other effect.

Spawn Points do not occupy the hex they are in, and are not considered to be terrain.

Select Characters

Each player will play with two characters from the same faction in a squad.

The Survivalists faction will play with Lucky and Thug in their squad, while the Peacemakers faction will play with Pai and Buck in their squad.

• Survivalists: Lucky and Thug
• Peacemakers: Pai and Buck

Use their regular Character Cards (NOT the "Learn to Play" versions) for this game!

Distribute Resources

Make sure each character has 1 Luck Token to start the game.

2. Round Structure

1. a. Setup Phase: i. Determine Player Order; ii. AP Pool Generation; iii. Forage Card Draw
2. b. Activation Phase: i. Character Activation; ii. CyMS Activation
3. c. End Phase: i. CyMS Spawn (EM Noise Spawn, Round Spawn); ii. Clean Up; iii. End Game Criteria

a. Setup Phase

Player Order

First Round: During the first round of the game, each player will roll a six-sided die. The player with the highest result gets to determine which player goes first.

The first player places their squad in the starting area of their choice for this scenario. Next, the second player deploys their models in the starting area not chosen by the first player.

Second Round and After: The person who determines the player order is the player (in priority order):

• With fewer total VPs;
• With more unspent AP after the End Phase of the previous round; or
• Who DID NOT determine player order in the previous round.

After player order is determined, discard all unused AP from the previous round.

AP Pool Generation

First Round: Each player generates 5 Action Points (AP) to form their AP Pool.

Second Round and After: Same as the first round, except the player going second will generate 1 extra AP, represented by the Special AP Token.

Unused AP do not carry over between rounds.

Forage Card Draw

Forage Cards drawn during this step may be distributed however you like to your characters. Place each card face down near the character holding it.

First Round: In player order, each player draws 2 Forage Cards. Then, the first player draws 1 extra Forage Card.

Second Round and After: In player order, each player draws 1 Forage Card. Then, the first player draws 1 extra Forage Card.

b. Activation Phase

For all the details and examples of this phase, see "RR&S > Activation" and "RR&S > Actions."

This is the phase of a round in which players alternately activate characters in their squad. When a player chooses a character to activate, this begins their turn and they are the current player. The other player is the rival player. The current player's turn ends after the CyMS activation for the chosen character.

Character Activation

The current player activates ONE character (who has not activated yet this round) in their squad, and performs actions with that character. That character is the active model. They are also the active character. The current player can activate their character following these rules:

• Each character can only perform a single Walk action per activation;
• Each character may perform as many actions as they can, up to a maximum of 4 AP, in any order;
• An action may be repeated unless otherwise specified (e.g., on Character Cards, in scenario or expansion rules, etc.);
• No other character is considered active, even if they perform actions during this character's activation;
• Each character in a squad must be activated once and only once per round.

Action Summary

Free Standard Actions

• Walk - A character may only WALK once per activation.
• Use Forage Card - Read each Forage Card for when it can be used and its effect.
• Exchange Forage Cards - Freely trade with adjacent friendly characters.
• Extraordinary Tactic - Use once per game. See "Extraordinary Tactic" later in this booklet.

1 AP Standard Actions - Characters can perform these multiple times, unless otherwise specified.

• Attack - Perform a melee or ranged Attack. See "RR&S > Attack."
• Boosted Walk - Perform a Walk action up to the boosted WALK value. This counts as the single Walk action of a character's activation.
• Charge - This combines a Boosted Walk action with a melee Attack at -2 ATK.
• Draw Forage Card - Draw one card from the Forage Deck.
• First Aid - Recover HP for self or adjacent friendly characters.
• Remove Conditions - Remove conditions from self or adjacent friendly characters.

Varied AP Cost Actions

• Perform Abilities - Trigger them from the Action Store or spend AP. See "Perform Abilities" later in this booklet.
• Scenario Objective Interactions - Scenarios may have one or more actions that can be performed to score VP. The specifics and AP costs are described in the rules for each scenario.

Actions in Detail

While some of the actions and rules below were discussed in the Quick Start Guide, the following pages provide some additional details and information. If you haven't played through the QSG, we recommend you do that first before continuing.

Free Actions: A Free Action is an action that may be performed without spending AP.

Walk: For the full rules and restrictions of the Walk action, see "RR&S > Walk Action."

A character may only perform one Walk action per activation. Sidestep and Shift do not count as a Walk action. All are considered movement, and therefore follow movement rules, as detailed in "RR&S > Movement."

The Walk action can be done at any time during a character's activation, except for during another action. No actions may be performed during the Walk action, unless otherwise specified.

If a hex contains Short Terrain, it requires 2 hexes of movement to enter.

Movement Restrictions: You may not enter hexes that are occupied by another model, Tall or Impassable Terrain, or any scenario-specific rules that prevent entry. You may not perform another action during your movement, unless otherwise specified.

Use Forage Card: When the condition of using the Forage Card is met, the character possessing the Forage Card may immediately discard the card to apply the effect as described.

Exchange Forage Cards: As a free action during their activation, a character may freely exchange any number of Forage Cards with adjacent friendly characters.

Extraordinary Tactic: Your faction has access to an Extraordinary Tactic - a special group ability that can be used once per game. During their activation, any character from your squad may trigger the Extraordinary Tactic on your Faction Card as a free action, following the specific rules as listed on the card. All actions and/or abilities outlined in the Extraordinary Tactic are performed by each qualifying character in your squad, one at a time, as free actions. Resolve each qualifying character's Extraordinary Tactic actions/abilities completely before moving on to another qualifying character.

1 Action Point Actions: "Attack," "Boosted Walk," and "Charge" are all detailed in the QSG and will not be discussed again here.

Draw a Forage Card: The player may draw one Forage Card from the Forage Deck and assign it to the active model. There is no limit to how many Forage Cards a model may hold.

Forage Cards represent useful items that characters can find in their environs during the game. Each card grants a free action that can be used by the assigned character to gain a slight advantage over your opponent. A Forage Card has a (1) Name, which describes what the Forage Card represents, and a (2) Description, which describes when and how to use the card.

First Aid: There are rules for healing a character or other friendly characters, but for the How to Play booklet, please play without this rule. More information on First Aid can be found in "RR&S > First Aid."

Remove Conditions: Each character may remove all conditions on itself OR on another adjacent friendly character, once per round.

Varied AP Actions - Perform Abilities: Perform abilities by triggering them from the Action Store (left side of the Character Card), or by spending AP. The Character Card sections are:

1. Standard Abilities - Abilities marked with the standard-ability icon, or bolded, capitalized and italicized (e.g. Shift 1), are standard abilities and will not be described on the Character Card. See "Standard Abilities Definitions" below.
2. Tech Abilities - Abilities marked with the tech icon are enabled by the character's cybernetic implants or high-tech equipment. Some game effects target these abilities specifically.
3. Sustained - Abilities marked with the sustained icon have effect(s) that last from the time the ability is performed until Cleanup, unless otherwise specified.
4. Once Per Round - Abilities marked with the once-per-round icon may only be performed once per round.
5. Active Abilities - Characters have special active abilities listed on their cards. Active abilities that are listed in the Action Store can be triggered as part of an Attack action by using hit results, or they can be performed with AP during a character's activation if there is an associated AP cost. Active ability effects do not stack unless otherwise specified.
6. KO - Abilities marked with the KO icon may not be performed in a character's first activation after being KO'd.
7. Passive Abilities - These abilities are innate to the character. Read the description to see when and how they are applied to the game. Passive ability effects do not stack unless otherwise specified.
8. AP Cost - This means if you spend the requisite amount of AP, you can trigger this ability. If an active ability does not have an AP cost listed, then it can only be triggered through an Attack action and using the Action Store.
9. Range - Some abilities have a range, measured in hexes from the character activating the ability.

Ability Markers

Ability Markers are used to show what sustained game effects are currently active, and on which models. Each Ability Marker has a name that corresponds to an ability on a Character Card or Forage Card. Abilities marked with the sustained icon are performed during character activation and their effects last until Cleanup, unless otherwise specified.

When a sustained ability is triggered, or a sustained Forage Card goes into effect, place a matching Ability Marker near each model effected.

Most passive abilities have sustained effects throughout the entire game. These are not marked with the sustained icon and do not include Ability Markers.

Standard Abilities Definitions

• Hidden - Attacks and targeted abilities can only target this model from within range 3.
• Shift X - A target model may be repositioned X hexes.
• Sidestep X - This model may reposition X hexes.
• Stun - The target model suffers the stunned condition. See "Conditions" later in the booklet.
• Steal - Can only be triggered from performing a melee Attack! The attacking model gains 1 Objective Token or a random Forage Card that the target model is holding.

Sidestep and Shift are not affected by Short Terrain and do not count as a Walk action.

Surge Abilities

These abilities are indicated with the word "Surge" at the beginning of the ability description.

Surge abilities are active abilities that automatically affect friendly characters within an area when triggered, by emanating from the active model.

Targeted Abilities

These abilities directly affect one other model. Targeted abilities succeed automatically.

Area of Effect (AoE) Abilities

These abilities are indicated with the words "AoE Pulse" or "AoE Template" at the beginning of the ability description.

AoE abilities represent powerful weapons or skills possessed by a character that can affect multiple hexes at the same time. AoEs come in various sizes and shapes, and are described on the Character Card. AoEs consist of:

• Pulse: These emanate from the active model, and all models in the hexes within range are targeted;
• Template with range: At least one hex of the template must be within range of the active model;
• Template without range: These special templates have a blue hex representing the active model, and all models within the red hexes of the template are targeted.

Special templates with asymmetric shapes, such as Buck's "Shockgun" template, can be reoriented as described on his Character Card.

AoE abilities against non-friendly models require a roll to determine which models in the area of effect are hit. To resolve an AoE ability, roll a number of dice equal to the number of non-friendly models within the AoE, with a minimum of 3 dice. The controlling player may then assign one die to each model within the AoE, if the die result is equal to or greater than that model's DEX. Each model assigned a die is considered to be hit by this ability and suffers its effect.

Example: Buck is using his Shockgun Blast ability against two CyMS, Lucky, and Thug. The ability states that, "Non-friendly characters hit are stunned" and "CyMS hit are KO'd". Buck follows the AoE rule and rolls one die for each non-friendly model under his template, which amounts to 4 dice.

Buck rolls a 1, 2, 3, and 5. He may now assign the dice however he likes to each of the four models under his template. If the die value is equal to or higher than that model's DEX value, then it hits. In this example, he assigns the 5 to Lucky, the 2 to Thug, and the 3 to a CyMS. All of those dice are equal to or higher than the respective model's DEX value, so they hit. The CyMS is KO'd, and Lucky and Thug are stunned. The final die value of 1 does not hit anyone, so the last CyMS is spared. Alternatively, Buck could have assigned the 5 to the other CyMS instead of Lucky, if he wanted to KO both the CyMS rather than Stun Lucky.

Scenario Objective Interactions (Various AP)

See the RR&S or Scenario Cards for rules on how to interact with various Objective Tiles and Tokens, in order to score the scenario objective VP.

Other Combat Rules

The following are advanced rules that are detailed in the RR&S book, but are mentioned in this booklet to let you know the rules exist. For those rules not described in detail here, simply agree on an assumption of how the rules work and just play. Don't worry if you get it wrong! You can read more in the RR&S after your first game.

Conditions

For your first game, you will only need to know one condition type. For the other conditions in the game, see the "RR&S > Conditions."

Stunned - A stunned model suffers -1 DEX and cannot move or perform actions, except for Remove Conditions. Stunning a stunned CyMS will KO it. When a model is suffering from the stunned condition, place the stunned Condition Token near the model on the board.

Feeling Lucky?

You learned how to use Luck Tokens to modify dice in the QSG. There are additional ways you can spend your character's Luck Tokens. For the complete list, see "RR&S > Spending Luck Tokens."

Line of Sight (LOS - Ranged Attack Only)

For details of this rule, see "RR&S > Line of Sight (LOS)."

Cover (Ranged Attack Only)

For details of this rule, see "RR&S > Cover."

Ranged Attacks Against Engaged Models

For details of this rule, see "RR&S > Attack > Ranged Attack Against Engaged Models."

Attacks of Opportunity

For details of this rule, see "RR&S > Attacks of Opportunity."

Knock-Out (KO) / Knocked-Out (KO'd)

For CyMS KO rules, see "CyMS Activation" later in this booklet.

There is no permanent death in this game for characters. Instead, when a character reaches 0 HP, they suffer limited capabilities during their next activation.

• A character is "Knocked-Out" (KO'd) when its HP reaches 0.
• Clear all conditions, abilities, and EM Noise on a character when they are KO'd.
• When a character is KO'd, place a KO Token near the character's model on the board.
• The character does not interact with any models or effects while KO'd.
• The KO'd character does not block line of sight (LOS) and other models can move through the hex it occupies, but they cannot end their movement in any hex occupied by that character. This is an exception to the normal rules of an "occupied" hex.
• KO'd characters retain their Forage Cards and Luck Tokens.
• If the KO'd character hasn't activated yet this round, they must still activate sometime this round.
• During a character's first activation after it is KO'd:
  • It may only spend up to 2 AP;
  • It may not use abilities that have a KO icon next to it;
  • It must suffer a penalty on any stats or AoE template that has a KO icon next to it; and
  • The KO'd character's HP heals to the recovery level when it activates.

CyMS Activation

During a character's activation, don't forget to track the total EM Noise generated, by using the included EM Noise Dice and placing one near each character on the board!

You learned the basic mechanics of how CyMS activate, move, and attack in the QSG. In the HTP, you'll learn more about their passive abilities, how to KO them, and how more of them spawn onto the board in the End Phase.

Find the CyMS Reference Card and refer to it:

1. WALK - This number represents the distance in hexes that CyMS move.
2. ATK - This is the CyMS' ability to do damage. The number represents the number of dice CyMS roll when performing an Attack action. Each hit result in an Attack roll translates to 1 damage.
3. DEX - This number represents CyMS' ability to defend themselves. Dice rolled as a result of an Attack action targeting the CyMS must equal or exceed their DEX value in order to be considered hit results.
4. Attack Range - An Attack Range of "1" means that CyMS can only perform melee Attacks on adjacent models.
5. Traits - Similar to characters, these traits help you determine which abilities and special rules apply to CyMS. For the HTP, you will not need to worry about the traits.
6. Passive Abilities - This section describes passive abilities of the CyMS. Most of them will not be relevant in the HTP, and are listed here for your reference.
7. CyMS Activation Summary - These rules are a summary that will guide you on how to activate the CyMS.
8. How to KO CyMS:
   • CyMS have no hit points and can only be KO'd if 1) they suffer 3 damage in a single Attack, or 2) they are stunned again after already being stunned;
   • When CyMS or any characters are stunned, place a stunned Condition Token next to that model to mark their condition.

CyMS that are KO'd are returned to the CyMS pool.

For more examples and details of CyMS activation, or to read the complete rules, see "RR&S > CyMS > CyMS Activation."

Alternate Character Activations

After the CyMS finish activating, the rival player becomes the current player and activates one of their characters that has not yet activated in the current round. Repeat the Activation Phase until all characters (for both players) have activated once.

c. End Phase

If this is the final round, skip the End Phase and go to the End Game.

CyMS Spawn

There are two steps in the CyMS Spawn Phase: the "EM Noise Spawn" and the "Round Spawn."

EM Noise Spawn

Players start by spawning CyMS due to the EM Noise generated by each character in the round.

1. Identify the character who generated the most EM Noise in the round, regardless of the squad. We will call the hex this character occupies the target hex.

   If characters from any squad are tied for the most EM Noise, first spawn CyMS against all of the second player's characters that were tied for the most EM Noise. Then spawn CyMS against the first player's characters that were tied for the most EM Noise. If there are characters tied for the most EM Noise within a squad, then the rival player chooses which of those characters to spawn against first.

2. Determine the number of CyMS that need to be spawned for the target hex. Each EM Noise Die that the character generated during the round will spawn 1 CyMS.

   Example: If a character generated 1-6 EM Noise, they spawn 1 CyMS. If they generated 7 EM Noise, they will spawn 2 CyMS, because there are 2 EM Noise Dice for the character.

3. To spawn a CyMS, the player who does not control the character in the target hex (i.e., the rival player) places a CyMS model on the nearest Spawn Point to the target hex. Complete step 4 before spawning any additional CyMS for this target hex.

   • If there's a tie in distance from the closest Spawn Points to the target hex, the rival player decides which Spawn Point to place the CyMS on.
   • If the Spawn Point cannot be occupied, place the CyMS on any of the 6 hexes adjacent to that Spawn Point.
   • If no hexes adjacent to the Spawn Point are open, choose the next closest Spawn Point.

4. After being placed on the Spawn Point, CyMS must activate following the rules of CyMS activation you learned in the "QSG > How to Activate CyMS." If there are more CyMS to spawn for this target hex, return to step 3.

5. Remove all EM Noise from the character in the target hex.

6. Repeat this process for each character with EM Noise until:

   • There are no characters with EM Noise; or

Example (for more examples, see "RR&S > Spawning CyMS"):

• Nix generated 5 EM Noise and is the character with the most EM Noise. The hex he occupies is the target hex.
• One CyMS spawns on Spawn Point #2 and may be moved up to 2 hexes closer to the target hex. It must end closer to the target hex than where it started.
• In this example, the Spawn Point is 4 hexes away from the target hex. So, the CyMS may be moved into any of the hexes shaded in orange, as they are all closer to the target hex than the Spawn Point.
• Since there are multiple options to satisfy the move conditions, the rival player gets to choose which hex the CyMS will end up in. The rival player does not have to move the full WALK value of the CyMS, as long as it ends up closer to the target hex than where it started.

Round Spawn

1. Once all the EM Noise has been cleared from the board, each player takes X CyMS from the CyMS pool, where X is the "Round Spawn" for the scenario divided by two. If there is a remainder (due to an odd-numbered round spawn), it goes to the first player.
2. Starting with the first player this round, each player will choose any hex occupied by a non-friendly (and not KO'd) character to be the target hex. They will then follow the "EM Noise Spawn" procedure as if that character generated EM Noise. Continue spawning CyMS in this way until the first player has no CyMS left to spawn, at which point the second player repeats this step.

If all non-friendly characters are KO'd, treat the center hex of the board as the target hex.

No More CyMS

During EM Noise Spawn or Round Spawn, if you find that you cannot spawn CyMS because there are already 24 on the board, immediately stop and proceed to the next phase. If you want a more challenging game, you can continue spawning CyMS with any extra miniatures models you have, without limit - it will truly be a "survival game" at that point!

Cleanup

1. Starting with the first player, each player may draw Forage Cards with unused AP. Forage Cards drawn this way may be allocated to any character in the squad.
2. Remove all Ability Markers from the board.
3. Record any condition damage.
4. Remove stunned condition from all CyMS.
5. In player order, score any scenario objective VPs that were not scored during the round.

End Game Criteria

• This step is skipped for the "How to Play" version. See "RR&S > End Game Criteria" to learn how the End Game Criteria works.
• Play three full rounds and treat round three as the final round.
• Skip the CyMS Spawn Phase in the final round and go directly to End Game after the Activation Phase ends.

3. End Game

1. Record any condition damage, if appropriate.
2. Starting with the first player, score the scenario objective VPs that were not scored during the round.
3. The second player then scores all of their scenario objective VPs that were not scored during the round.
4. The player with more total VPs wins! In the case of a tie, see scenario rules for tiebreakers.
5. Shake hands ... or elbow bump!

The RR&S contains the complete rules and information you'll need to play the game. From now on, refer to that book if you want to look up a rule for any reason. Good luck surviving the world of Omicron Protocol!

That's it! Congrats on completing your first full game of Omicron Protocol! Now that you know the basic rules, mechanics and flow of the game, you can try out other characters within the factions and refer to the RR&S for more scenarios to play.