Terminator Salvation Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Game Description
  • The Game Board
  • Units
  • Development and Technology Tokens
  • Skynet and Resistance Game Cards
  • City Cards
  • Hidden Object Tokens
  • Factory Tokens
  • Resistance Victory Tokens
• Object of the Game
• Game Setup
• Turn Sequence
  • Receiving a Game Card
  • Active Actions
  • Using Game Cards
  • Hidden Object Tokens
  • Terrain Tokens
  • "New Units/Factories" Cards
  • "Development" Cards
  • "Tactics Development" Cards
  • "Mission" Cards
  • Using a Card to Get New Ones
• Combat
  • Defending Sector Borders
• End of the Turn
• Rules for Three Players
• Some Recommendations for the Game
• Additional Rules

Game Components

• Game board
• Unit figures:
  • 5 T-600
  • 5 T-1
  • 5 Hunters
  • 3 Moto-Terminators
  • 7 Infantrymen
  • 4 M1A2 tanks
  • 4 A-10 attack aircraft
  • 3 Jeeps
• Game cards:
  • 69 Resistance cards
  • 60 Skynet cards
  • 6 city cards
  • 8 large unit cards
• Game tokens:
  • 32 hidden object tokens
  • 9 development tokens (for Skynet)
  • 6 technology tokens (for the Resistance)
  • 3 Skynet factory tokens
  • 2 "Resistance Victory" tokens (of different colours)
  • 1 token for marking the phase of the game
• 5 dice "1-6"

Game Description

The Game Board

The game board shows a map of the western part of the United States of America and part of Mexico. It is on this territory that the battle between the humans who survived the nuclear war and the machines will unfold.

The board is divided into sectors, in each of which there are located troops, factories and hidden objects. A map sector is one territory, so all tokens and figures that are within its borders are considered to be in one place.

Besides sector borders, the map also shows cities, roads and mountains (mountain barriers are marked by yellow lines; roads; cities marked by white-red dots; sector borders).

The game board also has 2 tracks. On one, the Resistance player must mark the victory points they have earned (the "Resistance Victory" track, numbered 0 to 10, on which the progress toward this victory is marked). On the second track, using a special token, the players mark what they have to do, i.e. which part of the turn they must play and which cards they may use (the phase counter, for marking the current phase of the game; positions 0, 1, 2, 3, 4).

Units

Each player has their own units, represented on the game board by figures.

The Resistance fights with: Infantryman, M1A2 tank, Jeep, A-10 attack aircraft.

Skynet controls: T-600, T-1, Moto-Terminator, Hunter.

Each unit has its own capabilities and characteristics, shown on its unit card, which the player takes for themselves when preparing for the game. Each unit card shows the unit name and its parameters (Movement, Attack, Defense, Durability; the Skynet T-1 card also shows Reconnaissance). Example values: Infantryman Movement 1/1, Attack 1, Defense 4, Durability 1; T-1 Movement 1/2, Attack 2, Defense 5, Durability 2, Reconnaissance 5.

Development and Technology Tokens

These tokens are used to mark changes to unit characteristics that arise during the game. Development tokens belong to Skynet units; technology tokens to the Resistance troops.

Technology tokens (Resistance): Attack 3, Attack 3, Attack 2, Defense 5, Durability 3, Defense 5.

Development tokens (Skynet): Reconnaissance 2, Movement 1/3, Movement 3/3, Defense 5, Durability 3, Defense 5, Attack 2, Attack 3, Reconnaissance 3.

Skynet and Resistance Game Cards

Each side has its own set of game cards. Using these cards, the players can move their units, attack, bring new troops into play, reconnoitre the terrain and carry out various missions.

City Cards

City cards are used during the initial placement of the opposing forces and to designate the goals that will face the Resistance player when carrying out missions (see the section "Additional Rules").

The cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Dallas, Seattle.

Hidden Object Tokens

Hidden object tokens are laid out on the game board and denote shelters of surviving humans, hidden military equipment, technologies and special features of sectors on the map. The tokens' faces read: Ruins, A-10 Attack Aircraft, Technology, Shelter.

Factory Tokens

These tokens denote the places where new Skynet units are produced.

Resistance Victory Tokens

Two tokens of different colours, used on the victory track.

Object of the Game

The Resistance and Skynet have one goal: to destroy the enemy. But each side has a different path to that goal.

Skynet becomes the winner when it finds and captures all 5 human shelters or destroys all Resistance units.

To win, the Resistance fighters must score 10 victory points or destroy all Skynet units and the factories where new killer machines are produced.

Game Setup

The players agree who will be on the Skynet side and who will control the Resistance units.

Then the players take their unit figures and their cards and place them next to the game board.

The technology tokens are thoroughly shuffled and placed face down next to the Resistance unit cards.

The "Tactics" cards (6 pcs.) that are part of the Skynet card set must be picked out and put into a separate face-up pile. The city cards must also lie in a separate pile.

All the remaining game cards are divided into two piles: Resistance cards and Skynet cards. Each pile is shuffled and placed face down next to the game board. During the game, next to these piles the players can lay already played cards; each side has its own pile of played cards.

The player who will command the Skynet units determines in which sector his first factory will be. To do this he takes any city card, reveals it, and places a factory token in the sector where this city is located. After that this city card is removed from the game.

After this, hidden object tokens are placed on the game board. In sectors with cities there must be 2 tokens, in the others 1 each. The tokens are placed face down so that neither player knows what exactly they hide.

Finally, the players set up their units. Skynet places in the sector where the factory is, or in sectors bordering it, one T-600, one T-1 and one Hunter. The player commanding the Resistance takes 3 city cards from the pile, reveals them, and then places one infantryman in the sector with each of these cities.

The token marking the number of Resistance victory points is placed on the zero mark of the track.

The players take the top 5 cards of their piles into their hands.

Turn Sequence

During a turn both players can carry out various actions: moving troops, attacks, creating new units, carrying out special missions, reconnoitring territories, etc.

All these actions are carried out with cards and take place in a strictly established order, which cannot be changed.

The turn is divided into several phases, each of which is played by both players before moving on to the next.

For the players' convenience each phase of the turn is marked by a number. To know exactly what to do next, during the turn the players must move a token on a special track to mark the phase of the turn and which cards may be used (the phase counter on the board).

A turn consists of the following phases:

• receiving a game card
• active actions (0-4) (Skynet begins each phase)
• end of the turn

Receiving a Game Card

At the start of the turn the players each take one top card from their pile. If after this a player has more than seven cards in hand, they must discard the excess cards of their choice and put them in the pile of played cards, so that seven cards remain in hand.

If a pile of game cards runs out, the already used cards are thoroughly shuffled, made into a pile and placed face down in the former place.

Active Actions

During this phase the players will play various cards, move their units, fight and carry out missions. On all game cards in the lower right corner there is a number from 0 to 4. These numbers indicate in what order the players may use the cards: first both players in turn may play cards marked 0 (tactics), then those marked 1, then 2, and so on. This order cannot be changed under any conditions. Players must not forget to mark on the special track exactly which cards they may use: as soon as the cards marked 1 have been played by both players (or it has been announced that they decline to play the current number), the token on the track moves to mark 2. The player decides for himself whether to use any card or skip his part of the turn. For example, the player commanding the Skynet machines plays cards 0, 1 and 2 in turn, while the Resistance player skips his part each time because he has no suitable cards, and enters the game only when the turn reaches the cards marked 3.

(Example card: "Move 1 unit or Reconnaissance", with the phase number 3 in the lower right corner, labelled "turn phase".)

The player commanding the Skynet forces is always first to play his card, or to announce that he skips his part of the turn, for each number.

Used cards are immediately removed from the game and placed in a separate pile. The exception is "Tactics" cards, whose effect may continue throughout the whole turn.

Some cards offer the players a choice of two actions. What exactly to do after playing such a card, the player decides for himself, but he may choose only one option.

In one turn each player may play only one card with each number (1 card marked 0, 1 card marked 1, etc.).

Using Game Cards

"Tactics" cards are played only at the very beginning of the active actions (they are marked 0). The card itself describes in detail how it affects the game. If the card's effect lasts the whole turn, the card is placed in front of the player and stays there until the end of the turn, when the player must put it into the pile of played cards.

"Movement" cards: these cards state the number and type of units that the player may move.

The distance a unit can be moved depends on its "Movement" characteristic shown on the unit card. The first number in the "Movement" entry on the unit card shows how many sector borders the unit can cross in 1 turn. The second number is the number of borders the unit can cross when moving only along roads (1/2). Players must remember that the yellow sector borders on the map denote mountain barriers; such borders can be crossed only by Hunters and A-10 attack aircraft.

Only 4 units of one player may be in one sector. If a player already has 4 units in a sector, he can no longer move additional units into that sector.

A player's units are moved simultaneously. Before starting to move, the player must announce which of his units will be moved into which sector.

Moving through a sector where enemy units are located may lead to a battle at the sector border. In this case movement stops, even if the unit still had movement left.

"Attack" cards: the action of these cards applies to all units located in one chosen sector. The player's units that have received the order to attack enter battle with all enemy units in that sector (see the section "Combat").

"Reconnaissance" cards: playing such a card allows one of the player's units to conduct reconnaissance in the sector where it is located. These cards are simple for the Resistance commander to use: he plays the card, chooses a unit and conducts reconnaissance.

The Skynet player must additionally roll a die: if the result is greater than or equal to the "Reconnaissance" characteristic of the chosen unit, the unit may conduct reconnaissance; if the value is lower, nothing more could be found out and the card is immediately removed from the game.

The player whose unit conducts reconnaissance in a sector may reveal 1 hidden object token located in that sector.

Hidden Object Tokens

• Shelter. If a Resistance unit has found the shelter, the Resistance commander receives 1 victory point (the "Resistance Victory" token moves 1 division on the track) and may place 1 infantry unit in this sector. If there are already 4 human units in this sector, the new unit begins the game from any sector that has a shelter. The revealed token remains on the game board. If the "Shelter" token is revealed by a Skynet unit, the player places this token in front of himself: his victory comes closer.
• Mission. For the Resistance commander this token brings 1 victory point (the "Resistance Victory" token moves 1 division on the track). If this token is revealed by a Skynet unit, it is simply removed from the game board.
• M1A2 tank. Having revealed such a token, the Resistance commander may place an M1A2 tank in this sector. If there are already 4 human units in the sector, the new tank may begin the game from a sector that has a shelter. The revealed token is removed from the game board. If this token is discovered by a Skynet unit, it is immediately removed from the map.
• A-10 attack aircraft. Having revealed such a token, the Resistance commander may place an A-10 attack aircraft in this sector. If there are already 4 human units in the sector, the new unit may begin the game from a sector that has a shelter. The revealed token is removed from the game board. If this token is discovered by a Skynet unit, it is immediately removed from the map.
• Technology. If a human unit is lucky and manages to reveal such a token, the player draws 1 technology token at random and places it on the card of the corresponding unit. Now this unit has improved characteristics, and the player can use this in future. The revealed token is removed from the game board. Skynet, on revealing such a token, immediately removes it from the map.
• Terrain. Such tokens remain lying face up on the game board, whichever player discovers them. A revealed token determines the type of terrain and conditions in the whole sector. Players must take into account the features of the sectors in which revealed terrain tokens lie.

Terrain Tokens

1. RADIATION: the radiation level in such a sector has risen sharply, which is dangerous for both humans and machines. During the end-of-turn phase the players must roll a die for each of their units in this sector. If the die shows "1" or "2", the Resistance unit is considered dead. Machines resist radiation better, so only on a roll of "1" is the Skynet unit put out of action.
2. IMPASSABLE ROADS: when moving through this sector, take into account that all roads in it were destroyed during the war.
3. RUINS: it is hard for machines to find their bearings among the debris and ruins, so finding something in such a sector is difficult for them. The Skynet player must subtract 1 from the die roll and only then compare it with the unit's "Reconnaissance" characteristic.
4. FORTIFICATIONS: both human units and machines do everything to win every battle, so in many sectors fortifications have appeared that hinder the attackers. When attacking in such a sector, any player must subtract 1 from the die roll.
5. WASTELAND: some sectors after the nuclear bombardment turned into absolutely flat fields strewn with fine dust. Fighting in such terrain is much easier than in ruins or mountains. When attacking in such a sector, any player must add 1 to the die roll.
6. FOG: A-10 attack aircraft and Hunters may not enter this sector; their equipment is useless in the dense fogs that arose after the war and never lift.
7. FORESTS OR MOUNTAINS: in such terrain it is very hard for units to wage combat, so the "Attack" characteristic of all units is reduced by 1 (a unit's "Attack" characteristic cannot equal 0, so 1 is the lowest value of this characteristic and it cannot become lower).
8. TOXIC POLLUTION: both humans and machines will have to reckon with the consequences of the nuclear war for a long time yet. If during the end-of-turn phase a player has units in such a sector, he will have to pay for it with his cards: the player removes from the game as many cards as he has units left in the polluted sector.

Note: using terrain tokens is optional. The players may agree that if their reconnaissance reveals such a token, it is simply removed from the game board.

If 2 different terrain tokens turn up in a sector, the players must take into account the influence of both on the sector. If these are the "Wasteland" and "Forests or Mountains" tokens, only the first revealed terrain token counts and the second is removed from the game.

Revealed terrain tokens cannot be moved to other sectors or removed from the game board, even with "Tactics" cards.

"New Units/Factories" Cards

By playing these cards, the players can place new units and factories on the game board (factories: Skynet only).

The player in charge of the Skynet units receives new machines from factories, so his units appear only in sectors where he already has units. It does not matter to him whether there are Resistance units in that sector.

A factory can be built only in a sector in which there are no Resistance units and at least 1 Skynet unit is present to guard it.

The Resistance commander, when choosing the sector from which his new unit will begin play, must be careful: a new unit can be placed only in sectors where there are human shelters or other Resistance units and there are no Skynet machines.

If a player has no more unit figures, then reinforcements will have to wait until, during following turns, some units are destroyed. Then they can be brought into battle again.

Only 4 units of one player may be in one sector. In sectors where a player already has 4 units, he cannot bring in new troops.

"Development" Cards

These cards are only in the set of the player controlling the Skynet units. By playing such a card, the player may take 1 development token of his choice for the unit indicated on the card. The token is placed on the unit's card over the corresponding characteristic, and now the Skynet machines have become even faster and more dangerous.

"Tactics Development" Cards

The Skynet player may use special "Tactics" cards that were set aside in a separate pile at the start of the game. By playing a "Tactics Development" card, the player gains the right to take a card from this pile and use it already on the next turn. Both types of "Tactics" cards, after use, are placed in the pile of played cards, and when forming a new pile to replace an exhausted one they are shuffled with the other cards.

"Mission" Cards

If the Resistance commander manages to carry out the task of such a card, he receives 1 victory point. The "Resistance Victory" token can be moved 1 division on the track.

Using a Card to Get New Ones

Instead of applying a card's action, at the appropriate moment of the turn the player may announce that he decides to exchange this card for new ones. In this case he immediately puts it into the pile of played cards and after that takes new cards from the pile. The number of new cards the player may take is equal to the number in the lower right corner of the card he has discarded. The player cannot exchange "Tactics" cards for new ones.

Attention! This is a very good way to get the cards that are so needed in the game. Often one card, which the player may take at the start of the turn, will not be enough for him to plan and carry out his intended actions. Moreover, the new cards can be played in this same turn.

Combat

Humans and machines are doomed to fight not for life but to the death, and they have one goal: to destroy the enemy units, so battles await the players every turn.

Combat can begin in two cases: when one of the players plays an "Attack" card, and when a unit passes through a sector where there are enemy troops and they decide to defend the borders of this sector. During combat the players take turns rolling dice to determine what damage they managed to inflict on the enemy. By adding up the "Attack" characteristics of the units taking part in the battle, the player learns how many dice he will have to roll.

The first to roll the dice is the player who decided to start the battle, i.e. the player who plays the "Attack" card, or the one who decided to attack enemy units at the sector border. The player may decide himself which target a die result applies to. Depending on which unit has become the target of the attack, the player evaluates the rolled value by comparing it with the "Defense" characteristic of the attacked unit. If the rolled value is equal to or greater than the target's "Defense" characteristic, the unit is considered to have taken losses, and the targets have taken damage. After that the player must check how much damage the unit can withstand without ceasing to exist. This is indicated by the "Durability" characteristic. If a single hit is enough to destroy the unit (its "Durability" is 1), the figure of the destroyed unit is removed from the game board. If the unit continues to fight (its "Durability" is more than 1), it will have to be attacked again.

After the first player has dealt all his blows, the second player rolls the dice. When determining the number of dice the player must roll, he takes into account only the "Attack" characteristics of the surviving units, even if some of them took damage. He too may choose which target a die result applies to.

If a unit was not destroyed during the attack, at the end of the turn it is fully restored, even if damage was inflicted on it during combat.

Example: Skynet announces an attack with two T-600 and one T-1 on a Resistance group consisting of three infantrymen and one M1A2 tank. The players do not yet have technology or development tokens, so the units have the standard characteristics shown on their cards. The player commanding the Skynet units rolls the dice first, since he decided to start the battle. Adding up the "Attack" characteristics of his units, he gets 4 (2 T-600 with "Attack" 1 and 1 T-1 having "Attack" 2). So the player rolls 4 dice, which show 2, 2, 5 and 6. He may choose which enemy units he attacks. The "Defense" of the infantrymen is 4, and of the M1A2 tank 5. So Skynet has two blows that can inflict damage on both the infantrymen and the M1A2 tank. But the M1A2 tank has "Durability" 2, and to destroy it two damages must be inflicted on it during one turn. Skynet decides to destroy the Resistance tank, spending both its hits on it. The Resistance commander removes the figure of the destroyed unit from the game board. Now it is the humans' turn to strike back. The Resistance has three infantrymen left alive ("Attack" 1). The Resistance commander rolls 3 dice, which show 4, 3 and 5. Since the T-1's "Defense" is 5 and "Durability" 2, destroying this machine by inflicting two damages on it will not work for the humans (only one die shows 5). So the commander decides to destroy the 2 T-600 (which have "Defense" 4 and "Durability" 1). Skynet removes two of its figures from the game board, and with that the battle ends.

Defending Sector Borders

If a player's units cross a sector border during movement where there are enemy troops, the player may face the need to break through this sector by fighting. An attack on units entering a sector may be announced by the player whose troops are already in that sector. The Resistance is ready at any moment to intercept Skynet units, while the machines do not always manage to keep up with the humans' mobile units. When Skynet decides to start a battle to defend the borders of its sector, the player must roll a die, choosing a unit that will look for the violators of the sector border. If the die shows a value greater than or equal to the "Reconnaissance" characteristic of the chosen unit, Skynet meets the humans at the sector border and starts a battle. If the roll is unsuccessful, the humans turned out to be faster and craftier than the machines and managed to pass the dangerous sector unnoticed.

All units of both sides take part in a battle at the sector border, regardless of whether they were in the sector or only entered it.

Attention! All of a player's units are moved simultaneously, so a battle at sector borders can begin only after all units that had the chance to enter the sector where the battle is to take place have finished moving.

Units that survive after a battle remain in the sector.

End of the Turn

When the players have finished playing all their cards and have fought all battles, the final phase of the turn begins. The players must check whether their units have ended up in sectors where terrain tokens affecting the game situation were revealed. If such terrain tokens have been revealed, the players must carry out everything they require.

Then Skynet assesses the situation in the sectors with Resistance shelters. If in a sector with a shelter there are no Resistance units and at least 1 Skynet unit is present, the shelter is considered destroyed. Its token is taken off the game board and placed in front of the player controlling the machine units.

At the end of each turn both players must check whether either of them has managed to fulfil the conditions for victory. The Resistance wins if at the end of the turn the player has managed to score 10 or more victory points, and also if all machine units and factories are destroyed. Skynet becomes the winner when all 5 human shelters or all Resistance units are destroyed.

If at the end of a turn both players have achieved their goals, Skynet is declared the winner.

Rules for Three Players

By changing the rules slightly, this game can be played by three.

In a three-player game one player controls the Skynet units and two command the Resistance.

Each player commanding the Resistance takes cards for himself from the common pile. They cannot exchange these cards with each other.

The player controlling the Skynet units takes 2 cards at the start of the turn, and may hold up to 9 cards in hand at one time.

During the active actions each of the Resistance commanders may play his cards under the basic rules, but the Skynet player determines which of them goes first.

The unit figures of the Resistance players are shared. During a turn the same unit may move, attack and perform other actions under the commands of different players. But during one phase a unit cannot perform the actions of two cards with the same number, even if these cards are used by different players.

The technologies that change unit characteristics are also common to the players.

However, each Resistance commander keeps a separate count of his victory points. For this the players use "Resistance Victory" tokens of different colours, moving them along one track.

The game ends with the victory of one of the Resistance players when he scores 10 victory points. The second player does not win in this case, but is not considered to have lost either, since the humans still managed to survive in the world of the future and not submit to the machines, and the second commander has merit in this too.

If both Resistance players simultaneously carried out their goals and can be considered winners, this is the best possible result for humans. Whereas a Skynet victory means the complete defeat of the Resistance.

Some Recommendations for the Game

Since the players have different tasks to carry out, to achieve their goals they must take into account the features of the units they command, so their playing tactics will differ.

Skynet tactics

Skynet units are better armed and stronger than the Resistance units. And even though at the start of the game the characteristics of the machine and human units are almost identical, Skynet can improve its war machines faster. Besides, Skynet produces new units at its factories much faster.

It is precisely these features of the Skynet units that the Skynet player must use to the maximum effect. His tactic is constant attacks on the Resistance units. With superiority in strength he can achieve victory simply by destroying all human units.

On the other hand, the player may concentrate his efforts on finding the human shelters and destroying them. In doing so he can keep his units back to storm those shelters which the Resistance itself finds. In this case quick destruction of all 5 shelters will bring victory.

Resistance tactics

The Resistance commander will have to develop a more complex tactic. His units may yield to Skynet units in strength, but his options are much more varied and flexible. It would be good if, during the first games, a more experienced player commanded the Resistance.

Only with a very lucky run of circumstances can the Resistance commander count on winning by destroying all Skynet units and factories.

That is why the player should concentrate his main efforts on earning victory points. For this he has two options, which he must use to the full: reconnaissance of territories and carrying out missions. Only by combining these two ways can the player score 10 victory points faster than his units are destroyed by the machines.

But while trying to score as many points as possible, the player must remember that he must also preserve his units. The Resistance commander can move his units through the sectors so that Skynet will have to chase and catch up with them all the time; however, if a battle is unavoidable, it must be accepted boldly. Good luck to the brave!

Additional Rules

After several games, when the players have well studied the features of the units of both sides and tried different variants of tactics, they can use additional rules that make fulfilling the goals more difficult for one of the sides. The players may use only some of them, not necessarily all at once. Before the game the players must agree which additional rules they will use.

If the players think the Resistance is stronger than Skynet:

• When a player reveals a "Mission" token, he will have to fulfil an additional condition to receive 1 victory point. The Resistance commander takes 1 city card, and it is in that city that he must carry out the task. The mission is considered fulfilled if at the end of the turn there is a Resistance infantryman or jeep in the sector with the indicated city. The city card is then removed from the game.
• All Resistance units that were destroyed in battles are laid aside separately. The player will not be able to return these units to the game with a card. Only hidden object tokens will give the Resistance the chance to replenish its ranks.
• Having fulfilled the task of a "Mission" card and received victory points for it, the player removes this card from the game. It does not return to the pile of played cards and can no longer be used.
• Reconnaissance in sectors may be conducted only by infantryman and jeep units.

If the players think Skynet is stronger than the Resistance:

• To destroy an already revealed shelter, Skynet needs not only to destroy all Resistance units in this sector but also to roll a die in addition. If the rolled value is greater than or equal to the "Reconnaissance" characteristic of the chosen unit, the shelter is considered destroyed; if the value is lower, the machines failed to penetrate the shelter and kill its defenders. The attempt to destroy the shelter will have to be repeated on the next turn.
• The "Tactics" cards included in the Skynet set are removed from the game.
• The Resistance is permitted to gather up to 5 of its units in one sector.

The proposed additional rules do not have to be used all at once; only some of them may be chosen. Before the game the players must agree which additional rules they will use.