The Outcast Heroes Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Objective
• Game Components
• 1. Glossary
• 2. Game Setup
• 3. Game Overview
  • 3.1. Starting a Stage
  • 3.2. Phases of a Round
    • 3.2.1. New mission
    • 3.2.2. Actions
    • 3.2.3. Starting a mission
    • 3.2.4. Changing the Commander-in-chief
  • 3.3. Ending a Stage
    • 3.3.1. Starting the remaining missions
    • 3.3.2. Success or failure?
    • 3.3.3. Counting your points
    • 3.3.4. Preparing the decks for the next stage
  • 3.4. How to Resolve a Mission
• Military Ranks Used in the Game

Game Objective

In "The Outcast Heroes" players take the roles of the leaders of units fighting against the illegal communist government. Their goal is to combat the occupying forces by carrying out missions aimed against the People's Government and to realize their secret goals. Players' actions are rewarded with glory points - who gathers the most points wins the game.

Game Components

• 32 Cursed Soldiers cards: 1. Leadership level; 2. Strength; 3. Name and player's color
• 20 Order cards: 1. Name; 2. Effect (for soldier); 3. Strength modifier
• 8 Government Actions cards: 1. Mission DL modifier; 2. Name; 3. Effect
• 20 Glory Points cards: 1. Number of points
• 8 Secret Goals cards: 1. Condition; 2. Extra points
• 4 Glory Counter cards
• 1 Commander-in-chief card
• 1 Nomination card
• 15 Mission cards: 1. Date and difficulty level; 2. Stage number (face side); 3. Name; 4. Bonus; 5. Stage number (back side)
• 1 special Mission card "Free the prisoners"
• 4 wooden cubes for marking the number of points gathered

1. Glossary

Unit - the soldier cards that are currently in your hand.

Headquarters - a place where the soldiers remaining in play are. They may be mobilized (taken to a player's hand), which costs one action. The cards in the Headquarters are always face up.

Jail - a pile of soldier cards placed under the card "Free the prisoners". Soldiers arrested by the People's Government as a result of a mission or Government Actions go there. Soldiers may be freed from the Jail by succeeding in mission "Free the prisoners".

Grave - a place where the soldiers killed during a given stage of the game are placed. They do not take part in the game anymore and they should be returned to the box at the end of the stage.

Commander-in-chief - this function refers to the first player in each round of the game and it is marked with a special card. At the beginning of each stage the players will bid for this card (see 3.1. Starting a stage). After each round you should change the Commander-in-chief (the card goes clockwise to the next player).

Nomination - the player who has won the bidding for the Commander-in-chief card in a given stage gets the Nomination card. It may be used only once per stage. The player can put it on the Commander of a chosen mission at the end of his round. This soldier cannot be removed from this zone by any means (you cannot perform the taking over action on him).

Bonus - each mission card has a special bonus symbol in the bottom left corner. After succeeding in a mission this card goes to the player who has controlled the Liaison (if there was no soldier in the Liaison zone, the bonus is lost - remove the mission card from play). This player will be allowed to use the special ability of the bonus at any time during the game. Remove the card from play after it has been used.

Action zones - in "The Outcast Heroes" each mission has 4 action zones (they are arranged "around" a mission card) and each zone has some special abilities. In the Command, Recon and Liaison zones there can only be one soldier at a time, while in the Strike Force zone any number of soldiers is allowed. Below you will find short descriptions of the zones:

• Command - a soldier in the Command zone of a given mission (the top of the card marked with an Eagle) will distribute the Glory Points cards among the players whose soldiers take part in the mission and will determine the moment of starting the mission. Further in this rulebook this soldier will be called a Commander.
• Liaison - a soldier in this zone (the left side of the card marked with a Handset) gets a special bonus connected with a mission (the symbol in the bottom left corner of a mission card). The bonus is available after succeeding in a mission (the player puts the successful mission card in front of him). The soldier in this zone is called a Liaison.
• Recon - placing a soldier in this zone (the right side of the card marked with Binoculars) allows the player to draw two Government Actions cards (instead of one) at the start of a mission and choose one card that will be in effect. The other one should be put on the bottom of the Government Actions deck. The soldier in this zone is called a Scout.
• Strike Force - this zone is located at the bottom of a mission card and is marked with a Rifle (it is the only zone which can contain more than one soldier card). Soldiers in this zone allow the players to draw additional Orders during a mission (one extra card per each soldier in this zone).

2. Game Setup

Before the beginning of the game:

1. Divide the cards into decks according to the different back sides. The soldier cards should be divided according to the colors on their face sides.
2. Create the mission deck which will be used in the game (3 out of 5 cards from a given stage will be used). First take 3 random cards from the third stage - they will constitute the bottom of the deck. Then put 3 missions from the second stage on them, and finally - on the top of the pile - put 3 cards from the first stage. In this way a 9-card deck will be created (do not shuffle it). Return the remaining cards to the box - they will not be used in the game.
3. Put the "Free the prisoners" card in the middle of the table.
4. Create the Secret Goals deck. Depending on the number of players, put there 1 (for 2 and 3 players) or 2 (for 4 players) "Traitor" cards (with a red face side). Then shuffle the deck and place it within the players' reach.
5. Put the Glory and Government Actions decks as well as the Commander-in-chief and Nomination cards on the table in a place easily accessible for the players.
6. Shuffle the Order deck and deal one card to each player. Put the rest within the players' reach.
7. Put the Glory Counter card in front of each player, together with one wooden marker (place it on the card on number 1) and give each player a set of 8 soldiers in an appropriate color (corresponding to the color of the Glory Counter).
8. Then the players shuffle their 8 soldier cards and take an appropriate number of cards to their hands. This number depends on the number of players. In a 2-player game each player draws 6 cards, in a 3-player game - 4 cards, while in a 4-player game each player draws 3 soldier cards. Put the rest of the soldiers in the Headquarters, face up.

(Source note: the numbering of steps in the setup list is reproduced as printed, with "4" appearing twice.)

3. Game Overview

3.1. Starting a Stage

The game is divided into three stages. Each stage consists of four consecutive rounds. Before the beginning of each stage (including the first one) take a few extra actions:

• give one card from the Secret Goals deck to each player. These cards are hidden - do not show them to other players;
• choose the starting player for this stage (this player will get the Commander-in-chief and Nomination cards) by means of bidding. Each player chooses one soldier from hand. When all players choose their soldiers, the cards are revealed - the player who has a soldier with the highest leadership level wins the bidding. If there is a tie, choose randomly (shuffle the soldier cards with the highest tied leadership levels and draw one). Then put all soldiers used for bidding in the Headquarters.

3.2. Phases of a Round

Each round in a stage consists of the following phases:

3.2.1. New mission

Put the top card from the mission deck on the table if you are currently playing one of the first 3 rounds of a stage. In the last (fourth) round you skip this phase.

3.2.2. Actions

In this phase the players will take two actions each, going clockwise. The player with the Commander-in-chief card takes two actions first, then the player to his left acts and so on, until all the players have taken their actions.

Note! In a 2-player game the player with the Commander-in-chief card will have one extra action (3 actions instead of the usual 2).

Players may spend their actions on the following activities:

• mobilization - the player choses one soldier in his color from the Headquarters and moves him to the Unit (takes the card to hand).
• deployment - the player may assign any soldier from hand to one of the mission cards on the table (including the special mission "Free the prisoners"). While playing a soldier card from hand, the player decides which zone the soldier will be assigned to. In the Command, Recon and Liaison zones there can be only one soldier, so if there is already some player's soldier card there, you cannot put another one in this zone. You can always assign a soldier to the Strike Force zone, no matter how many soldiers are already there.
• taking over - you can always perform this action with one of your soldiers in the Strike Force zone. He can switch places with another soldier in one of the special zones of the same mission (Command, Liaison or Recon). You can perform such an action only if your soldier's leadership level is higher than the leadership level of the soldier who currently is in this zone. If there is no soldier in a given special zone, the action is still possible - you just move one of your soldiers from the Strike Force zone to one of the empty special zones (within the same mission).

3.2.3. Starting a mission

All the missions on the table must be resolved in the order in which they appeared in play (starting from the one played earliest). Special mission "Free the prisoners" is resolved last. The player who controls the Commander of a given mission decides whether it will be resolved or not. If he decides to start the mission, begin resolving it immediately (see 3.4. Resolving a mission). If there is no soldier in the Command zone, the mission cannot be started (the only exception is the end of a stage).

3.2.4. Changing the Commander-in-chief

The player who has the Commander-in-chief card gives it to the player on his left side. The Nomination card stays with the player who won the bidding at the start of the stage - unless it has already been used.

3.3. Ending a Stage

After the last, fourth round is finished, take the following extra actions:

3.3.1. Starting the remaining missions

Start all the missions that have not been started during this stage. Do it chronologically, beginning from the mission that entered play earliest. The only exception is mission "Free the prisoners", which can be started only as a result of the decision of the player who controls the Commander of this mission.

3.3.2. Success or failure?

Determine whether the stage ends in a victory of the Cursed Soldiers or the People's Government. If at least two missions from a given stage have ended in a failure (their cards are placed on an appropriate pile), the People's Government wins the stage. Otherwise, the soldiers controlled by the players succeed.

3.3.3. Counting your points

The players reveal their Glory Points cards and move the markers on their Glory Counters by as many squares as the number of points they have gathered. Then they reveal their Secret Goals. If a stage has ended in a success, extra Glory Points are given to those players who have green Secret Goals cards. They gain 1 point for succeeding in the stage and 2 additional points if they have fulfilled the condition marked on the card. If the soldiers have not succeeded in the stage, additional points are given to those who have the "Traitor" cards (red Secret Goals cards). Such players get 2 points if two missions have ended in a failure during the stage, and one extra point if no mission is successful. Now, depending on the results of your Secret Goals, adjust the points on your counters just as in the case of the Glory Points cards.

3.3.4. Preparing the decks for the next stage

The players give back all their Glory Points and Secret Goals cards. Then they are shuffled into appropriate decks. You should also shuffle the Government Actions deck (all the cards from the discard pile go back there, too).

Then remove from play all the soldiers who are in the Grave and all mission cards from the given stage (apart from those which belong to the players as their bonuses). Put the Commander-in-chief and Nomination cards in the middle of the table.

3.4. How to Resolve a Mission

Example:

1. The player who controls Pilecki (orange) draws 5 cards from the top of the Glory Points deck and gives one to each player (including himself). The remaining card is returned to the bottom of the deck.
2. In this mission the Recon zone is empty, so the players draw one card each from the top of the Government Actions deck and apply its effect.
3. The players count the mission's Difficulty Level, adding up 9 and the value of the Government Actions card just drawn.
4. The players draw Order cards: the orange and purple players draw one card, the blue and green ones draw two.
5. The players give Orders to their soldiers. Then they reveal the cards, count the soldiers' total strength and compare it to the mission's Difficulty Level.

3.4.1. Glory Points

After starting a mission the player who controls the Commander of this mission takes several cards from the top of the Glory Points deck and distributes them among the players who take part in the mission. The Commander draws one card plus one per each player (including himself) who has at least one soldier taking part in the mission. Each player gets one Glory Point card from the Commander (only the Commander and the player know what card it is), the remaining card should be returned to the bottom of the Glory deck (also without showing it to the rest of the players). The players put the cards in front of them, face down - they will be allowed to take the cards to their hands only if they succeed in the mission.

If the mission has no soldier in the Command zone, all the players who control at least one soldier in the mission draw one card from the top of the Glory Points deck and put it on the table in front of them.

3.4.2. Recon

If there is a Scout participating in the mission, the player who controls him draws two cards from the top of the Government Actions deck, chooses one and puts it face up next to the mission card. The other card is returned to the bottom of the Government Actions deck without being shown to the rest of the players.

If there is no Scout in the mission, play the top card from the Government Actions deck.

3.4.3. Government Actions

After playing a Government Actions card apply its effect immediately. It is marked with an appropriate symbol on the card. Below you will find the description of the Government Actions effects together with their symbols:

• Arrests. Move a soldier with the lowest strength from the Headquarters to the Jail. If there is a tie, the effect applies to all soldiers with the lowest strength.
• Execution. Remove a randomly chosen soldier who is in the Jail from the game. If there are no soldiers in the Jail, ignore this card.
• Interrogation. The player who has the most soldiers in the Jail will have one action fewer in the next round. If there is a tie, the effect applies to all the tied players. If there are no soldiers in the Jail, ignore this card.
• Informers. The Commander of the mission may discard this card (its value will not be added to the Difficulty Level of this mission). If he decides to do so, he loses one Glory Point.
• Manhunt. The soldiers who are wounded in this mission go to the Jail (instead of the Headquarters, as they would usually do).
• Ambush. It increases the Difficulty Level of the mission and does not have any additional effect.

3.4.4. Counting the Difficulty Level

After applying the effects of the Government Actions you should count the Difficulty Level of the mission. Add the number from the Government Actions card to the number on the mission card. This way you get the final Difficulty Level of the mission.

3.4.5. Orders

Shuffle the Order cards. Each player draws one card from the top of the deck per each soldier they have in the mission. Additionally, players draw an extra card per each of their soldiers in the Strike Force zone. From these cards (and one Order card already in hand) a player will choose the Orders to be given to his soldiers. Every soldier taking part in a mission (regardless of the zone he is in) has to get exactly one Order. You cannot leave a soldier without any Order cards or give a soldier two Orders. Attach the Order cards to your soldiers face down, so that other players cannot see what Orders you have played. Finally, leave one Order card in your hand and return the remaining Order cards to the top of the deck.

In "The Outcast Heroes" there are 4 types of Order cards. Each card has a name and two pieces of information on it. The first one is the modifier to a given soldier's strength (usually marked with + and a number). The second one determines what happens to the soldier after the mission (marked with a symbol on the card). Each card also has a special version (marked with an asterisk next to the name of the card), differing from the basic version in that it has a higher strength modifier or a special additional rule. Below you will find the description of all Orders in the game:

• For free Poland! +2 to the soldier's strength. The soldier dies. Place his card in the Grave.
• For free Poland!* +1 to the soldier's strength. The player who controls him immediately gains one Glory Point. The soldier dies. Place his card in the Grave.
• Attack! +1 to the soldier's strength. The soldier is arrested. Place his card in the Jail.
• Attack!* +2 to the soldier's strength. The soldier is arrested. Place his card in the Jail.
• Stand fast! The soldier's strength does not change. The soldier is wounded. Place his card in the Headquarters.
• Stand fast!* +1 to the soldier's strength. The soldier is wounded. Place his card in the Headquarters.
• Withdraw! The soldier's strength is reduced to zero. The soldier withdraws from the mission. He immediately returns to his owner's Unit.
• Withdraw!* The soldier's strength does not change. The soldier withdraws from the mission. He returns to his owner's Unit.

3.4.6. Result of a mission

After all soldiers get their Orders, reveal the cards and count the total strength of the soldiers taking part in a mission. Add up the soldiers' strength modified by the Order cards attached to them. In order to do this the players should first return to their hands all soldiers with the "Withdraw!" card (but not its special counterpart). Then you add up the remaining soldiers' strength, applying the modifiers from Order cards. If the final number is equal to or higher than the Difficulty Level of the mission (increased by the modifier from the Government Actions card), the mission is successful. Otherwise, it is a failure.

If a mission has been successful, the players who have taken part in it take the Glory Points cards lying in front of them (distributed by the Commander at the beginning of the mission) to their hands. Then the player who has controlled the Scout puts the mission card in front of him - the bonus from this card may be used later in the game. Below you will find the descriptions of all the bonuses available:

• (chains icon) Discard this card. Move a chosen soldier from the Jail to the Headquarters.
• (Glory Points card back icon) Discard this card. Discard one of the Glory cards you have in hand. Then draw the top card from the Glory deck and take it to your hand.
• (banknotes icon) Discard this card. You have one more action in this round.
• (cap icon) Discard this card. You may cancel another player's decision to start a mission.
• (scroll icon) Discard this card after playing a Government Action card. Discard the card and ignore its effects.
• (grenade icon) Discard this card after revealing all the Orders in a given mission. Add +2 to the total strength of the soldiers taking part in the mission.

Freeing the prisoners - succeeding in the "Free the prisoners" mission has a slightly different effect from other missions. Firstly, the bonus available for the player who controls the Recon zone should be used immediately (take one of your soldiers from the Jail to your hand). If there is no soldier that belongs to the player controlling the Recon zone in the Jail, just ignore the bonus. Then move all the soldiers from the Jail to the Headquarters. The mission card stays on the table - new soldiers may be arrested in the future.

If the soldiers have not succeeded in a mission, the players discard the Glory Points cards lying in front of them (put them on the bottom of the appropriate deck). Put the mission card on the failure pile ("Free the prisoners" is an exception here, this card should stay on the table). When a stage ends, the number of cards placed there will help you determine who has succeeded - the Cursed Soldiers or the People's Government.

(Source note: 3.4.6 as printed says the mission card goes to the player who controlled the "Scout", while the Glossary and Action zones text assign the bonus to the player controlling the Liaison; the "Free the prisoners" paragraph refers to the Recon zone. Reproduced as printed.)

3.4.7. Ending a mission

At the end of the process of resolving a mission (regardless of its result) you should determine what has happened to your soldiers. All soldiers who have died as an effect of their Orders should be placed in the Grave. Those who have been arrested should be placed in the Jail (under the "Free the prisoners" card). Wounded soldiers go to the Headquarters, while those who have withdrawn return to their owners' hands. Put the Government Actions card applied to this mission on the appropriate discard pile. Finally, gather all the Order cards and put them on the top of the Order deck (it will be shuffled before the start of the next mission).

3.5. Ending the Game

After finishing the fourth round of the third stage the players compare the number of their Glory Points. The player who has the most points wins the game. If there is a tie, compare the number of soldiers in the tied players' Units. The player who has more soldiers wins. If there is still a tie, the players share the victory.

Military Ranks Used in the Game

• plk - colonel
• kpt. - captain
• chor. - warrant officer
• pplk - lieutenant-colonel
• por. - lieutenant
• st. sierż. - sergeant class I
• mjr - major
• ppor. - 2nd lieutenant
• sierż. - sergeant class II